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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

FRANZISGA, BARONESS VON HEDEMANN 




FRANZISKA, BARONESS VOX HEDEMANN 

Founder of the celebrated House of "Frederic/ 
exclusive establishment of its kind, patronized 
crowned heads of almost every court. 



the most distinguished and 
y the elite of Europe, and 



LOVE STORIES OF 
COURT BEAUTIES 

BY 

FRANZISCA, BARONESS VON HEDEMANN 

ILLUSTRATED 




NEW YORK 
GEORGE H, DORAN COMPANY 



3)f o 



COPYRIGHT, 1917, 
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



Oci.A 4 7 94 35 



DEC -6 1917 



PREFACE 

To my knowledge, I am the first modiste to at- 
tempt an autobiographical record of her pursuit of 
the art of dressmaking. It will be very simple, be- 
cause I possess neither the art of literary values, 
nor the imaginative gift of the novelist to dramatise 
the famous men and women it has been my privilege 
to know. 

My real excuse for writing about these crowned 
heads, who to-day are bowed low with the grief that 
has come upon them, is because I too am an exile 
from the gaiety that once was theirs, and which has 
changed so dreadfully to mourning and distress. I 
was obliged to leave England where my heart still 
is, and where my dearest friends and relatives re- 
side, because my late husband was of the German 
House of Hanover. The details of my departure 
like those of many other loyal friends in England, 
who in the terrific perplexities of the war prob- 
lem were compelled to forfeit their business, their 
homes, and their money, in obedience to new laws 
of a new situation, are too well known for repetition 

here. 

v, 



PREFACE 

I was given ten days in which to leave England, 
and the period was extended through special influ- 
ence, to three weeks. The pressure of conditions all 
over England, against the slightest German ele- 
ment, is incomprehensibly strict. Although I ap- 
plied to Her Majesty Queen Mary of England, 
whom I had known since she was a child, a most 
gracious letter from her in reply to mine made it 
clear that Her Majesty was powerless to intercede. 

So, as quickly as it was possible for me to close 
the House of Frederic, to sell whatever I could in 
a short time (since my bank account, my jewels, 
my papers, were all seized by the government to be 
held until the end of the war) , I set sail to this land 
of liberty, where I hoped to find a new occupation 
for my professional ability. 

Briefly, this is the adventure which has forced 
upon me the leisure to put together these reminis- 
cences of the wonderful women of Paris and Lon- 
don, who have inspired me. 

The House of "Frederic" was established in Lon- 
don at 14-15 Lower Grosvenor Place, in 1893. It 
became to the world of fashion in England what 
Worth was in Paris. In fact, it was Worth who 
advised me to adopt the name of Frederic. How it 
became famous, and the beautiful women who cre- 
— vi — 



PREFACE 

ated fame for it, is the reason that these remem- 
brances of those wonderful leaders of an aristocracy 
now drenched with the horrors of the great Euro- 
pean disaster called War are here written. 

Of course it has been my privilege, and as a 
modiste my good luck, to have gowned nearly all 
the Queens of Europe and their followers. In Lon- 
don, in this way, I came to know the elite of Eng- 
lish aristocracy. In their train, naturally, followed 
the beauties of the peerage, the most celebrated 
prima donnas, the most brilliant actresses. At ran- 
dom, I remember such international beauties as the 
Countess of Warwick, Duchess of Montagenu de 
Montagenu, the historical and imperious Duchess 
of Manchester, who was later the Duchess of 
Devonshire; the Duchess of Buckingham and 
Chandos, the Duchess Katherine of Westminster, 
the Duchess of Portland, the Duchess of Newcastle, 
and a host of others. All the grand personages of 
the past twenty-five years flocked in and out of my 
salon to consult me about dress, — and other things 
that this fascinating subject inspires. They have all 
remained my good friends, and they were all per- 
sona grata at the house of the Prince and Princess 
of Wales, subsequently King Edward and Queen 
Alexandra. 

— vii — 



PREFACE 

Fate, I am sure, appears usually in the guise of 
some luxurious temptation, which we must pursue 
irresistibly or miss the chances of fortune. If one 
could only know the sudden turn in the romantic 
roads of destiny which some of these aristocratic 
beauties I have known made! 

Many of us misinterpret the good intentions of 
our destiny because we fear the consequences of 
the unforeseen. In my own case, I took full advan- 
tage of my destiny. Perhaps I was temperament- 
ally adapted to it. A taste for extravagance, a pas- 
sion for beauty and elaborate toilettes, an apprecia- 
tive talent for what makes the coquetry of a wom- 
an's nature the supreme art of her being, these were 
the intense fires of my youth. 

It was the Paris of the second empire that really 
sealed my career as a modiste. The luxury, the 
gaiety, the love of pleasure so fully satiated by the 
grandeur of that period of the second empire in 
France, gave me the foretaste of my future calling. 
It fastened upon my soul those wonderful schemes 
of colour and artistic combinations of exquisite fab- 
rics, that in after years I used with such success. 

My memory is excellent, and I absorbed into my 
being the beautiful and vital impressions it re- 
ceived. 

— viii — 



PREFACE 

The real origin of my desire to become a modiste 
took hold of me when I was a very young girl at a 
grand reception I attended in the palace of the 
Tuileries. The occasion was a riot of beauty and 
splendour. I can still see before me such marvels of 
beauty as the Princess de Sagan, the Princess Met- 
ternich, Madame Gallifet, and a host of others, in 
their wonderful creations of the celebrated Worth ; 
in their midst Her Imperial Highness Eugenie. 
This whole event is beautifully interpreted in a glo- 
rious picture by Winterhalter. The styles of that 
period are returning, and Winterhalter's picture 
might almost be a representation of the product of 
to-day. 

Well, it was this vision, this hour of thrilling ad- 
venture, that fastened my desire to become some 
day famous in the art of gowning women myself. 
I never imagined that this fanciful dream should, 
or could, ever be realised. 

It happened, however, with the temptation of the 
unforeseen. 

In the summer of the middle sixties, I went with 
my aunt to Homburg est Mont, at that time the re- 
sort of all the grande monde and demi-monde celeb- 
rities. There one would meet at the gaming tables, 
elbowing each other, a grand duchess, a Cora Pearl, 

— ix — 



PREFACE 

a Baruchi, a Soubise, all adorned in the most gor- 
geous, brilliant, distinguished toilettes, all tempt- 
ing fortune unmercifully, while the mysteries of 
rouge et noir called for an almost unholy silence. 
Monsieur Blanc, the founder of these marvellous 
gambling rooms in Homburg and Wiesbaden, drew 
about him and his exquisite surroundings the most 
cosmopolitan society imaginable. There are many, 
of course, who remember, as I do, the picturesque 
figure of the Princess SouvarofF, the beautiful Rus- 
sian, who was the sister of the Countess de Galve. 
The Princess was always superbly gowned. She 
entered the gambling rooms followed by a great 
many cavaliers, in fact she was so surrounded by 
them that when her party approached the gambling 
tables it was almost impossible for anybody else 
to reach them. The Princess SouvarofF was the 
living spirit of these salons. Her almost devoted 
companion was usually the celebrated Paul Demi- 
doff (Prince Murat), usually playing with Garcia, 
the famous Spaniard who broke the bank several 
times. The picture of this beautiful woman, sur- 
rounded by the most reckless and daring men of 
the period, was savage, barbaric, stirring to a de- 
gree. Being quite young, impressionable, with an 
— x — 



PREFACE 

inclination to enjoy the superficial grandeur of the 
time, I naturally fell under the influence of it. 

In this brilliant, suffocating, perfume-laden 
atmosphere of extravagance, so intensely interest- 
ing, so tragicomic and vital in its recklessness of 
human romance, — I too met my fate. I was young 
and I was loyally chaperoned. He was then a gay 
lieutenant. I asked my aunt to allow me to be in- 
troduced to him. We danced all the evening. 
Next morning, a most glorious dawn, we met and 
galloped through that sublime pine forest, which at 
that time was a romantic setting famous in the ro- 
mantic history of European royalty. My hasty de- 
parture from this Eden of nature, which my aunt 
thought wise and judicious, did not banish from my 
mind and my too imaginative person, the impres- 
sion of that ride through the forest. 

I returned to Paris heart-broken. I did not wish 
to go out — theatres, balls, concerts, failed to excite 
my interest. I pined, I fell ill, and nobody could 
or would give it a name. The Duke de Bassano, 
the life-long friend of the beautiful Empress Eu- 
genie, met me on horseback in the Bois de Boulogne 
in Paris one morning. 

"How are you, cherie petite?" he asked. 

I could hardly reply. 

— xi — 



PREFACE 

"Ah, ah, mal &' amour" he said. 

Yes, it was so. 

Still my relative was inexorable. She would not, 
she could not hear of such a thing. Different creeds, 
different social standing, different politics, every- 
thing about it to her seemed impracticable and un- 
desirable. However, this did not daunt me. I ran 
away to meet the man I loved more than anything 
else. He met me at a little village on the Rhine — 
that glorious and beautiful river where so many 
lovers have found their answer. We returned to 
Paris and were married in a little chapel the distinc- 
tion of which was one of the brutalities of the Com- 
mune. 

This incident, the great personal event of my 
life, typifies the spirit of the times which launched 
me upon a career that never lost its romantic fla- 
vour, that kept me forever eagerly in pursuit of the 
greatest of all temptations to women, to inspire the 
admiration and homage of the eternal heroes of the 
eternal fairy tale of every woman's heart. 

For six years my husband and I travelled in the 
United States just after the Civil War. During 
our absence, his property had been confiscated dur- 
ing the Franco-Prussian war, and we had to begin 
work in earnest. That is why we settled in Eng- 
— xii — 



PREFACE 

land, where he became a teacher of classics. I went 
to Paris to study the art of dressmaking, designing 
and creating gowns. 

I went to Worth, the most celebrated and the 
greatest of couturiers. He was the leading man of 
his time. The aristocracy of the united world came 
to him, and it was he who instilled into me the great 
desire to become a shining light in the world of well 
dressed women, as he himself was. Hence the suc- 
cess of my business career. Although the supreme 
inspiration for my work came from Worth, I can 
still say with absolute honesty that the gowns I de- 
signed were my very own, that they were no spu- 
rious imitations or copies of any other gowns made 
anywhere in the world. Dressmaking became a 
passion as uplifting and important as any great 
work of art becomes to the artist. I found it an un- 
mitigated pleasure, a perpetual source of diversion, 
an absolute treat, and I never felt happier than 
when I could demonstrate my talent upon the liv- 
ing model of some aristocratic beauty, to enhance 
through my art, all her exquisite charm. When I 
look back upon those years in the retrospect of the 
great wealth and beauty of those celebrities in art 
and fashion, who alas were too numerous for com- 
plete recollection, I seem to see them "as in a look- 

— xiii — 



PREFACE 

ing-glass." The quick-silver is a little dim, there- 
fore the reflection my glass gives must be sharp- 
ened by a skill that returns with effort. 

I learned some classic rules, however, that we al- 
ways apply to the woman of fashion and good taste 
in dress. To be really well-dressed a woman must 
not shock society either by her daring in design or 
her daring in colour. The proper blending of col- 
our is an enormous feature in dress. Primarily, the 
plastique of the figure must be accentuated by 
classic draperies. By this fundamental process of 
discovery, an ugly woman can be made to look beau- 
tiful. It is in the combination of colour that the 
real secret of the art of dressmaking lies. If culti- 
vated by the modiste with an artistic appreciation 
of this fact, the designing of each gown becomes 
quite as interesting as the painter's interpretation 
of colour within the scope of beauty on his canvas. 

Of course, one can fail in this too. It is quite 
possible to select with judgment certain expensive 
materials and to fashion them into garments that 
are beautiful in design, and yet fall far short of 
one's creative ambition. In my judgment, it is 
not satisfying to be famous and successful merely 
as a creator of clothes that are pleasing to the eye. 
Gowns should be a real work of art. Without the 
— xiv — 




THE FITTING ROOM IN THE HOUSE OF FREDERIC 

In this very attractive room the author came to know most intimately members 

of the royal household of almost every court of Europe. 



PREFACE 

artist's appreciation of colour of course this is 
impossible. 

The most important rule which I discovered in 
the course of my experience, is the gift to make 
the woman you are gowning realise that you un- 
derstand her needs. She must feel when she enters 
your establishment that the frame, the atmosphere, 
the mood of your establishment pleases her. I 
gave the greatest possible care and attention to 
every little detail of my reception room, so that 
every woman who crossed my threshold found the 
surroundings soothing to her. There is no event 
so important in a woman's life as the all-important 
business of ordering a new gown. It is a time of 
great anxiety to her. It is the crisis that decides 
whether her clothes are going to make her happy. 
What woman was ever happy in clothes she didn't 
like? Therefore, it makes all the difference in the 
world whether, when she visits her modiste, she 
feels "in tune" with the gowns which are displayed, 
as it were, on the knees of the gods. 

Who knows what may depend upon a new gown? 

According to her mood, her outward bearing, the 
modiste will be impressed with the entire character 
of her requirements. Therefore, every modiste 
who is the creator of the outward and visible sign 

— xv — 



PREFACE 

of her model's attractiveness must gain her con- 
fidence. The two must be en rapport. 

Much depends on first impressions. The beauty 
who comes to the modiste to be made, if possible, 
more beautiful, must come to a home of taste, a 
place where it is impossible that anything unbeau- 
tiful could find even a temporary abode. There 
must be a sense of all-pervading restfulness, and 
something of joyous expectancy in the atmosphere. 
It must be remembered that the home of the mo- 
diste to the ambitious woman of fashion is the place 
of unrevealed beauty, which she seeks. This is a 
state of mind which cannot be produced by the 
upholsterer or the decorator, nor by any display, 
however alluring, of beautiful externals alone. It 
is a condition which is brought about by the person- 
ality of the modiste herself. There is only one 
type of woman born with the instinct of fashion who 
requires no advice, and that is the French woman. 
She is filled and always will be with the perfection 
of taste and smartness. A ribbon, a bow, a flower, 
she will adjust these instinctively to improve her 
beauty. Then too, the French woman is a born 
epigram of fashion. She knows how to walk well, 
how to talk well, and she will make men notice 
the gown she wears so piquantly. Her lingerie is 
— xvi — 



PREFACE 

dainty to a fault, her boots and shoes are little chef 
d'oeuvres. 

In London, where the English beauty thrives, I 
created an environment that inspired their most 
radiant and distinctive moods. I spent a great deal 
of money in creating a mise en scene. My own 
room was off the reception room on the first floor. 
I generally could be found there. 

Upon entering this reception room one may have 
seen a few odds and ends, a length of lace, a dainty 
piece of lingerie, a robe de nuit, that held one's at- 
tention. Possibly, there was only a hat that com- 
pelled immediate notice. Those who came to my 
salon expecting a display, a gallery of robes, were 
disappointed. My method was not to dazzle, and 
yet my gowns stood out phenomenal for their good 
taste, their exquisite materials, and their elegance. 

One of my salons was furnished in old rose panel- 
ling, with a white and gold frieze and was hung 
with beautiful brocade pastoral, over real lace cur- 
tains. The furniture, which matched the period, 
stood on a carpet of grey pearl. An archway, de- 
signed after the style of Louis XV, divided this 
salon from another, the ceiling of which was em- 
bossed with twenty-two karat gold. In this room 
the panels were of the shade of Rose du Barry, 

— xvii — 



PREFACE 

with a border of white and gold, toned down by 
frames of grey pearl. On the walls hung medallion 
portraits of such bygone beauties as the Duchess 
of Gainesborough, Duchess of Cleveland, Marie 
Antoinette, Marquise de Chevreuille, the Duchess 
de Lamballe. A huge royal blue vase, the statue of 
an Egyptian water-carrier, Dresden china shep- 
herds and shepherdesses, poised on golden velvet 
consoles, made this salon more than attractive. 

Even my fitting-rooms were panelled entirely in 
dark oak, with quaint lamps, and huge Etruscan 
vases. An old Tyrolean chest of the date of 1605, 
filled with precious laces, gave an old-world tone to 
the entire room, with its ancient spinning-wheel in 
one corner. One room I called my royal chamber 
because on its grey-blue walls hung the royal ap- 
pointments given me by Her Majesty Queen Alex- 
andra, Her Majesty Queen Mary, Her Majesty 
Queen of Roumania, the late Duchess of Teck, be- 
sides a host of other photographs of royal beauties. 

My salon was next to the Spanish Embassy in 
London, the throng of footmen and carriages out- 
side my door often making passersby think that I 
was holding a reception. When His Majesty King 
Alphonso was in town, he usually lunched at the 
Embassy, and on those occasions I always decorated 
— xviii — 




THE RECEPTION ROOM IN THE HOUSE OF FREDERIC 

One of the quaint rooms which constituted a temple at whose shrine the most 
beautiful and the most distinguished ladies of two hemispheres worshipped with 
intense zeal and great ardor. 



PREFACE 

my house with the royal colours of Spain in his 
honour. I was so close to Buckingham Palace, my 
windows overlooked the royal garden, and when in 
happier times the ceremony of "trooping the col- 
ours" was customary, my flag would be seen flut- 
tering in the wind from Hyde Park Corner, be- 
cause as I had been honoured with so many royal 
appointments, I was privileged to fly the colours 
upon all great occasions. 

My task as court dressmaker was to accomplish 
for these great beauties of the Court of St. James 
exactly what a flattering painter would do on his 
canvas in their portraits. I adorned their natural 
graces, I made them walk, and their gowns talk 
for them. 

My first success was in creating certain imperti- 
nent creations of cotton with velvet, or silk with cre- 
torme, or cloth with silk, and my riding habits were 
also distinctive. At this time the ladies did not ride 
astride, as they do now. The riding habits of that 
day were made with little stiff collars for men's 
ties, and even the hats were like the men's silk hats. 
There was a good deal of rebellion among men 
against this fashion who, when they saw the ladies 
coming along Rotten Row, dressed like men, said 
cynically, "Where do we come in?" 

— xix — 



PREFACE 

Nothing seemed to please the English woman 
more than to be entirely in sympathy with the man 
in the Street, and so at this time, she adopted the 
sportsmanlike appearance in dress and in hats, of 
the men, so as to become more comradely. The 
English woman has divided with the English man 
his love of golf, cricket, lawn tennis, of swimming, 
skating and hunting. 

But, I am afraid I am trespassing, and must pro- 
ceed with the stories of really important men and 
women. Still, it was indeed a sad experience, when, 
on that winter morning in London, I awoke and 
found that my exemption would not be granted, 
and I started for New York. I arrived close to the 
Statue of Liberty on a very gloomy morning, and 
I wondered what fate would have in store for me. 



xx 



INTRODUCTION 

In Europe, at least in my time, all nations were 
ruled by monarchs, and those who attained the priv- 
ilege of meeting royalty, were favoured beyond the 
rest of mankind. It was in my capacity as court 
dressmaker, that I enjoyed the privilege of a rather 
enviable acquaintance with royalty. My own views 
of them are guided by a most agreeable personal 
knowledge. Those royalties whom I have had the 
honour to know, have been supremely graceful, 
well bred, and considerate of others. The splen- 
dour with which royalty surrounds itself, is, after 
all, merely a necessary defence against the human 
tide that would otherwise overwhelm them with its 
onrush of curiosity. 

It is the world's way towards royalty, to be curi- 
ous. In the present upheaval against monarchies 
and monarchs the reason for this curiosity will 
doubtless become more understandable, particu- 
larly as the traditions of their inner lives become ex- 
posed to the people. 

The beginning of this record, which is over- 

— xxi — 



INTRODUCTION 

shadowed by the dethronement of the Czar of Rus- 
sia, becomes intricate from the realisation that all 
the royal families of Europe are closely related. 
The revolution in Russia, which at this moment of 
writing is absorbing the world's interest, seems to 
cast its ghostly warning over England. 

The relation of England's throne with German 
blood, with Russian royalty, makes an issue of po- 
litical importance that cannot be ignored. The per- 
sonality, the character, the human traditions of the 
royal actors and actresses in the new drama which 
the world is presenting to us to-day, become espe- 
cially significant, and, therefore, I must recall the 
relationship of these great identities in this new 
historical drama. 

It has frequently been said that if King Edward 
VII had been alive at the outbreak of the war, his 
remarkable diplomacy, the force of his personality 
would have prevented it. King Edward inherited 
a great deal of the wisdom and charm of his dis- 
tinguished mother, Queen Victoria. Her Majesty 
was born in England, her father German, her 
mother English. When she was called to the 
throne, she was one of the most wonderful, charm- 
ing and highly educated girls imaginable. Her 
beauty was not spectacular. It lay rather in 
— xxii — 



INTRODUCTION 

her exquisite colouring, her sweet expression, and 
her calm, tender eyes. She was thoroughly unso- 
phisticated because her education had been zeal- 
ously guarded from any knowledge of the world. 
Her imagination had been suppressed, and when 
she came to the throne of England, it was with no 
hindrance of imaginative splendour. Her engage- 
ment to the Prince Consort, Albert the Good, as he 
was called, began at a garden party which was held 
in Richmond Park at White Lodge, where she fell 
in love with him at first sight. He, too, belonged 
to a German house, the family of Coburg-Gotha, 
renowned for handsome and stalwart men. When 
he first arrived in England, the Court Ladies unani- 
mously voted that he was an Adonis. This brought 
about a good deal of trouble, for Queen Victoria, 
being human and very much in love, became in- 
tensely jealous of her Ladies-in- Waiting. 

Among the attractive and handsome women of 
the English court was Lady Florence Hastings. 
Justly or unjustly, she was suspected by Her Maj- 
esty Queen Victoria of being a favourite of the 
Prince Consort. There are various forms of tor- 
ture which the etiquette of royalty can inflict upon 
members of the Court of inferior rank. Queen Vic- 
toria's method of visiting her wrath upon Lady 

— xxiii — 



INTRODUCTION 

Florence Hastings was a refined cruelty. The 
Queen would frequently keep her standing for 
hours, until she almost fainted. It was a delicate 
way of confirming an indelicate suspicion. Finally 
Lady Hastings was ostracised, the Hastings family 
never appeared at Court, and her Ladyship died 
at an early age, of a broken heart. 

This incident of Queen Victoria's adolescent pe- 
riod of romance seems hard to reconcile with the 
discretion and care shown later by Her Majesty in 
bringing up her family. All her life she loved very 
deeply, and all her life she lived very simply. 

The more one considers the blood relationship of 
the crowned heads of Europe, the more one won- 
ders how this war could ever have become a fact, 
when one remembers that Queen Victoria was the 
grandmother of the Kaiser, the grandmother of 
King George and numerous other crowned heads. 
Queen Victoria actually adored her son-in-law, 
Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm, who, during his reign, 
was in reality the greatest friend England ever pos- 
sessed. 

As a woman, her modesty of toilettes was famous. 

Her admiration for Disraeli confirms the general 

impression of her supreme taste for diplomacy. He 

made her Empress of India, and doubtless her own 

— xxiv-- 



INTRODUCTION 

wisdom vastly helped his reputation as Lord Bea- 
consfield. 

It is interesting to remember that Disraeli in pol- 
itics was for peace, for international good will to- 
wards Europe. His conservatism was entirely in 
sympathy with the character of his Queen, and his 
antagonism towards Gladstone was merely politi- 
cal. As men, they mutually had many things in 
common. 

The influence of English women at Court upon 
the political conflicts between Disraeli and Glad- 
stone was largely inspired by their social ambitions. 
Both Tories and Whigs played a great role in so- 
cial affairs, and it was the custom for Court beau- 
ties to attain notoriety by their cleverness in politi- 
cal intelligence. 

Among the most brilliant of these court beauties 
of this time was the Duchess of Manchester who 
was well known as the guiding political spirit of 
Lord Hartington, the leader of the Tories. The 
Duke of Manchester was really a nonentity, and 
agreeably played that one-stringed instrument in 
society called "second fiddle." Most of the bril- 
liant coups of Lord Hartington's political career 
were planned by the Duchess of Manchester for 
him. She was a dashing, emotional woman who in 

XXV r 



INTRODUCTION 

her younger days became famous for disguising her- 
self in an officer's uniform of the Hanoverian Light 
Brigade so that she could visit the officers' mess, and 
enjoy the liberties of these occasions. 

Her intense cleverness prevented any open scan- 
dal. Before her marriage she was the Countess von 
Alten, and created a furor at the Court of the blind 
King of Hanover, where beautiful women were as 
common as the sands by the sea. Her sister, Countess 
Grothe, though almost as beautiful, was an entirely 
different type. She was petite and dainty, while 
the Duchess of Manchester was tall, imperious and 
very haughty. Her manner towards inferiors was 
sometimes rude. She was the most perfectly formed 
woman among the beauties of England, and on this 
account scandalous people declared that she never 
wore any undergarments. The reason for this, it 
was said, was because she desired to live up to the 
standard of the ancient Romans, whose women were 
so fascinating and so statuesque. The aim and pur- 
pose of this Court beauty, under the reign of Queen 
Victoria, was to capture the Prince of Wales at a 
period when his youth was most impressionable. 
To the Duchess of Manchester belongs the record 
at the Court of St. James of inaugurating the 
Prince of Wales' taste and admiration for lovely 

: — XXVi 







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CERTIFICATE GRANTED BY QUEEN ALEXANDRA 

Her gracious Majesty Queen Alexandra's appointment was bestowed upon the 
author in appreciation of the author's great endeavor to please the beautiful 
Uueen and meet her exquisite taste in gowning exclusively. 



INTRODUCTION 

women. She was the guiding star in the brilliant 
career which King Edward VII pursued among the 
beauties of his period. As the years fastened upon 
them both, she still remained a favourite advisor 
in his international diplomacy, and after his mar- 
riage she became the confidential friend of Queen 
Alexandra, from the time she entered London as 
a bride. 

Queen Alexandra was the most beautiful per- 
sonification of everything that is perfect in woman, 
and I say this with a personal knowledge of this 
wonderful woman and exquisite Queen. She was 
one of the beautiful daughters of the King of Den- 
mark. She was modestly brought up, quietly edu- 
cated. When the Prince of Wales first met her at 
the Court of Hessen in Darmstadt, he was over- 
powered by her modesty, her simplicity, and her 
beauty. From the time she entered London and 
received that marvellous ovation, until to-day, she 
has retained the love of the English people and 
their admiration. The grace of her demeanour, her 
glorious figure, her gracious manners, her unfail- 
ing courtesy, and her wonderful taste in clothes, 
through which she became the best dressed woman 
in Europe, had made her the favourite Queen of 
all Europe. 

— xxvii — 



INTRODUCTION 

No breath of scandal has ever reached the world 
about her, but there lurks in the heart of Alexan- 
dra a secret romance. One glorious thought dwells 
in her mind of a man who suddenly became one of 
the accomplished officers in the Egyptian war. He 
was a great friend of her favourite son, the late 
Duke of Clarence. He worshipped on her shrine 
till he died, and when he was called away in com- 
parative youth, Her Majesty Alexandra never 
quite got over the shock. It was after his death that 
she always bore that little atmosphere of deep sor- 
row in her eyes, of deep grief in her heart. There 
is an altar in her heart where she worships that 
adoration of her youth in secret. She recalls those 
happy times when in a little canoe they glided up 
and down the beautiful river canopied by the weep- 
ing willows, in the shadow of those sublime old oaks 
in Windsor Forest, bathed in the moonlight of those 
evenings of supreme happiness. It was an idyl, and 
I believe that Her Majesty always dwelt upon this 
beautiful romance with a sad but glorious satisfac- 
tion that to the pure all is pure. Her life has been 
one of continuous charity for others. She has a 
wonderful propensity for gowning herself; she is 
imbibed with that wonderful sense of rhythm and 
symphony in colour. Her harmonious combination 
— xxviii — 



INTRODUCTION 

of the ultra smart and yet distinguished toilettes 
was always a creation of her own, given to her dress- 
maker. Every woman at the Court of St. James 
was ambitious to imitate her effect in gowns. I 
believe that in her saddest moment she never for- 
got outward appearances, which is a graceful virtue 
all women will do well to cultivate. 

The relationship of royalty between Germany 
and England extended in so many directions over 
Europe, and by such diplomatic matrimonial direc- 
tions as Queen Victoria herself planned, that it 
would seem as though a deliberate purpose to es- 
tablish universal peace in Europe was actually the 
hope of the wise Queen of England. By her tact 
and guidance these relationships in the royalty of 
Europe were extended. They included the won- 
derful relationship of the House of Coburg-Gotha, 
of the Wittellsbach, of the Hessians. In fact, it 
extended to Roumania, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark 
and Russia. Who would have believed that the 
twentieth century would become an abyss where all 
sentiment has been unavoidably drowned, swal- 
lowed up in the horror of war? 

The Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of Queen 
Victoria, who married German royalty, inherited 
the tendency of her mother for jealousy. There 

— xxix — 



INTRODUCTION 

are many stories told confirming this fact. It is 
said that when she lived at the palace in Berlin 
during the first year of her marriage, she ran out 
of the palace one night, hatless, a short distance 
across the palace grounds, to complain to her 
mother-in-law, the Kaiserin Augusta, that she had 
just seen a wonderful parure of jewels which was 
being sent to the greatest prima donna of her time 
by her royal and beloved husband. It is said that 
the Kaiserin Augusta told her that such little things 
occurred so often in the sphere of royalty, she must 
become accustomed to them. The English princess 
went back to her palace home, still crying, but more 
reconciled to the fact that all men are untrust- 
worthy. This may have been a crisis in her per- 
ception of royal privileges, for her after life was a 
most happy one. 

I remember vividly the day when the present 
Kaiser was born. I was only a little girl and be- 
longed to one of the church choirs which Her Royal 
Highness patronised. I can see her now with the 
Kaiser entering the salon where we children stood 
waiting for them. I can see her showing us the 
war lord looking like a baby cherub in her arms. 
The royal parents were just as proud as any other 
ordinary parents, and especially one felt how won- 
— xxx — 




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CERTIFICATE CRANTED BY QUEEN MARY 

Her Majesty Queen Mary sent her "Lord Chamberlain" (Lord Shaftesbury) 
to bring personally her appointment to the author — the first lady to receive 
from the Queen of England and Great Britain this appointment as her dress- 
maker. 



INTRODUCTION 

derfully attached to each other they were. It was 
one of the most bewitching pictures one can im- 
agine. It was the fashion then to wear crinolines, 
and I recall how difficult it was for her Imperial 
Highness to squeeze through the ample portieres. 

The simplicity of the Victorian Court frequently 
placed her Imperial Highness after her marriage 
to Kaiser Friedrich in embarrassing positions. 
Her Ladies-in- Waiting, in Berlin, stood aghast 
one day when she requested one of them to bring 
in a tea pot and kettle. The Court etiquette in 
Germany was much more formal and strict than it 
was in England. When the Lady-in- Waiting did 
not obey the royal command, her Imperial High- 
ness turned smilingly and said: 

"If Queen Victoria can make her own tea, surely 
the Crown Princess of Prussia can do the same." 

She was most informal, most charitable, very 
clever and industrious. The little covering of the 
cradle of the present Kaiser was entirely embroid- 
ered by her on white satin with the escutcheon of 
the Hohenzollerns. Many people must recall how 
all England rejoiced when Queen Victoria heard 
of the birth of her eldest grandson, the present 
Kaiser. The event was made a holiday for the 
masses and for all classes. No one was more de- 

— xxxi — 



INTRODUCTION 

voted to the Crown Princess of Germany than her 
brother, the Prince of Wales, who gave her away 
at the wedding. He was entirely devoted to her. 

I still remember that royal wedding day in Ber- 
lin. It was a cold, snowy, icy day. The triumphal 
arch was covered with snow and ice flowers. 
It was a wonderful background. The royal cou- 
ple, driving slowly along in their carriage, were 
preceded by a few sweet girls who, on that cold 
day, dressed in thin muslin dresses, threw bouquets 
of flowers in front of the horses. Their enthusiasm 
kept them warm, for when the baskets were empty 
they threw them through the carriage windows. 

In the intervening years the lives of royalty went 
on in the usual torpid way, and a large family 
grew up, — a family which includes Prince Henry of 
Prussia, the Queen of Greece, Princess of Langen- 
burg Hesse, and one son, Prince Waldemar, who 
died in his early youth. 

No one was more popular or intimate with the 
present Kaiser than the late British Ambassador, 
Sir Edward Malet, and Lady Ermyntrude Malet 
in Berlin. The Kaiser usually spent an hour every 
day at the British Embassy. Lady Ermyntrude 
Malet was one of the most intellectual women in 
the diplomatic family. She was the daughter of 
— xxxii — 



INTRODUCTION 

the Duke of Bedford, one of the richest Dukes in 
England. Her mother, the Duchess of Bedford, 
was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of Her 
Majesty Queen Victoria. She spent almost a 
king's ransom for her wonderful jewels and laces, 
many of which came down through generations of 
the Bedford family. 

So the blood ties between the royalties of Eng- 
land and Germany seemed to grow closer and surer 
in sentiment of good will as the years went by. 
The present Queen of England, Queen Mary, still 
perpetuates this close relationship, being the 
daughter of the Duke of Teck and the Duchess of 
Teck, who were closely related to the Royal House 
of Wurtemberg. The mother of the Duke of Teck 
was the daughter of a Hungarian land owner. 
She was wooed by the father of the Duke of Teck, 
and was considered one of the most beautiful 
women of her time. The Duchess of Teck was 
one of the most popular women of England, not 
only with the Court, but especially with the people 
themselves. She was a cousin of King Edward. 
It was once expected that she would inherit the 
throne, as her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and 
her brother, the Duke of Cambridge, were the di- 
rect descendants of the Kents. 

— xxxiii - 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface v 

Introduction xxi 

CHAPTER 

I Court Beauties of the Second Empire 43 
II Recollections of Queen Victoria . 78 

III Royal Gamblers and Their Amours . 97 

IV Court Society Around the Prince of 

Wales 116 

V The Gallantries of His Royal High- 
ness 131 

VI Brides and Wedding Gowns of the 

Court of St. James .... 147 

VII A Royal Love Affair 156 

VIII Authors and Actors of King Edward's 

Reign 172 

IX The Modern Spirit of King Edward's 

Rule 195 

X His Majesty's Last Affair of the 

Heart 208 

XI Some Beauties of King Edward's 

Reign 219 

XII Personal Anecdotes of Queen Mary 229 

XIII Some Beautiful American Women in 

England 240 

xxxv 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XIV Her Majesty the Queen of Roumania 254 

XV Other Memories in England . . . 262 

XVI Some Famous Grandes Dames . . . 279 

XVII Some Recollections of Royal Chil- 
dren 291 

XVIII Ministers and Prime Ministers I 

Have Known 303 

XIX The Last London Season Before the 

War 320 

XX My Last Days in London .... 344 



xxxvi 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Franzisca, Baroness von Hedemann . Frontispiece • 

PAQE 

The Fitting-Room in the House of Frederic xiv 

The Reception Room in the House of Frederic xviii 

Certificate Granted by Queen Alexandra . xxvi 

Certificate Granted by Queen Mary . . xxx » 

Baroness de Ramelm and her Daughters at 

the Swedish Embassy 62 

Lady Winifred Renshaw 88 

Queen Mary 150 

Certificate Granted by Princess Mary Ade- 
laide, Duchess of Teck 210 

Certificate Given by the Queen of Roumania 256 

The Royal Children 298 

The Countess of Warwick . . . . . . 328 



XXXVll 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 



LOVE STORIES OF 
COURT BEAUTIES 

CHAPTER I 

COURT BEAUTIES OF THE SECOND EMPIRE 

I love to dwell upon this period of my life in 
France because it was the preparatory stage in the 
career of the House of Frederic. It brings back 
to me also such wonderfully unique experiences, 
such brilliant incidents. Those were the times when 
Napoleon III and the beautiful Empress Eugenie 
congregated at Compiegne. Around them gath- 
ered the pleasure-loving and exquisite society of 
the period. At Compiegne, during the hunting 
season, it was very picturesque to see them assem- 
bled in their bottle-green hunting costumes. The 
women wore riding habits with long sweeping 
trains, cavalier coats, jabots of real lace, and the 
three-cornered hats, edged with ostrich plumes. 

Napoleon III, after making a triumphal tour of 
the Courts of Europe as a prospective bridegroom, 

43 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

returned from his adventures unsuccessful. He 
was unable to realise his ambition, for wherever 
he knocked at the door of these royal palaces he 
received a polite refusal, — and finally he came to 
Spain, where he met Madame de Mont joy, the 
mother of La Belle Eugenie. Mademoiselle de 
Mont joy was, I believe, at the time of her mar- 
riage, already twenty-eight years of age, and of 
marvellous beauty. Exceptional was her hair, coils 
upon coils of auburn tresses formed a halo to her 
oval face full of vivacity. Her eyes were a violet 
blue, and the discreet long lashes gave her the ap- 
pearance of a modern madonna. I do not remem- 
ber ever having seen a more perfect woman. She 
was terribly ambitious to grace the throne of 
France, which she achieved, and then, as the Em- 
press Eugenie, she became an epoch-making wo- 
man. 

It was the Empress who made Paris the city of 
luxury, of abundant pleasure. It was she who 
made it the rendezvous of the world. It was she 
who induced the great architect, Baron Housmann, 
to build the beautiful Boulevard Housmann, and 
the delightful Avenue de l'Opera, where the first 
great electric lamps shed their brilliancy to show 
the contrast with the gas lamps of former days. 
—44— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

Eugenie loved colour and light, gaiety and per- 
petual life. She possessed the power to mentally 
intoxicate her surroundings, her companions. 
Young and old followed where she led. It was a 
marvellous sight to see her driving in her open 
barouche drawn by four beautiful stallions. Thou- 
sands of spectators awaited her coming to cheer 
her as she passed, and to enjoy her bewitching and 
ingratiating smile. Her toilettes were wonderful, 
she had a great deal of personal taste, and her ori- 
ginal colour schemes were adopted by Worth. 

What an empire she ruled. 

She has loved much, she has suffered much, she 
has borne everything bravely. When the Ameri- 
can doctor who saved her from a hideous fate 
brought this proud and ambitious woman to Eng- 
land, where she found a home, Queen Victoria gra- 
ciously extended hospitality and sympathy to her 
for the loss of her Empire, her husband, and her 
son. No wonder France has at last awakened to 
the sincere regard which the British Empire has 
always had for Frenchmen. 

To-day the Ex-Empress Eugenie is beautiful to 
look at. She still walks erect, she is still surrounded 
by some of her devoted friends. Her English home 
in Farnborough is very beautiful, and her goal of 

—45— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

pilgrimage daily is to the mausoleum of her hus- 
band and son. 

It was the Empress Eugenie who created for 
Worth his world-wide prestige. He was made the 
arbiter of fashion, the entire aristocracy went to 
him. He amassed a colossal fortune and built 
himself a wonderful castle at Surenne near Paris, 
filled with exquisite things. It was sumptuous 
and at the same time very comfortable. The 
House of Worth still flourishes, the business being 
conducted by his grandson. Worth was an Eng- 
lishman. His wife was a beautiful woman, and 
was very much admired by one of those Russian 
grandees who often come to Paris to be charmed 
and to charm. There are two events in my life in 
Paris during the Second Empire which I shall 
not forget. One was the pageant reception at 
the Tuileries, and the other was a glimpse of the 
Empress Eugenie at the races in Longchamps. 

The scene at the Tuileries was a sight for the 
gods. When the Empress Eugenie faced that 
wonderful blaze of light and beauty, leaning on 
the arm of Napoleon III, a breathless silence pre- 
vailed. The crowds gasped with admiration, as if 
they were watching some exquisite apparition. She 
was surrounded by her galaxy of fair women. They 
—46— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

stood upon a raised dias of royal blue. Napoleon III 
looked almost as tall as herself. The music of the 
orchestra was by Gounod and Meyerbeer. I have 
never forgotten a single detail of her gown. It was 
so attractive and so well thought out that it im- 
pressed itself forever upon my mind. It was a satin 
Duchess robe in an oyster-shell tone, richly and pro- 
fusely embroidered, with a stole of tulle Arabesque 
bordered with precious stones, held up with agrafes 
of diamonds, a slight hoop skirt or crinoline 
showing an ample skirt, leaving a very small 
train from the hips. A Dalmatian mantle of bleu 
ardoise (steel blue) in Lyons velvet was slung 
from under the arms a length of over four yards, 
which had enormous bunches of violets de Pannes 
and mignonette embroidered in relief with floss silk. 
The effect was marvellous and more than beautiful. 
Two pages carried this masterpiece of the dress- 
makers' arts at least three feet behind her, to allow 
the whole creation to be seen from every nook and 
corner of the assembly. Her crown of brilliants of 
the purest Brazilian lustre, in great spikes, stand- 
ing upwards, tipped with huge black pearls and 
dew-drops of diamond chainettes, from the centre 
of that crown, were fastened to the train with three 
Persian turquoises, big as a hen's egg. Her fan 

—47— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

was curiously interesting. It was of real point de 
Gauze, and the sticks were entirely of brilliants, 
with her monogram and imperial crown of dia- 
monds, turquoises, sapphires and topaz, which 
hung from her girdle. 

The Court dress of Napoleon was the simple 
"dress clothes" of to-day, a wide blue ribbon across 
his shirt bosom, a huge star of brilliants on the 
left lapel of his coat. He was very dignified, al- 
most stern, yet a little smile would linger on his 
lips, when some homage was paid him. The Duke 
de Bassano, Monsieur Pietri, the Chef de Police, 
the Duke de Magenta, Prince Sagan, with his 
charming princess, General Gallifet and his more 
than lovely wife, Prince and Princess Paul Metter- 
nich, La Belle Laide (so baptised by Napoleon) 
were all there. 

Her Imperial Highness, Empress Eugenie, 
fully appreciated the volatile nature, the romance 
and sparkle of the French people. I remember 
once at the races at Longchamps, the enthusiasm 
with which the Empress told me what a striking 
and beautiful creature she found the lovely Baru- 
chi was to look at. She was a glorious brunette, 
Italian by birth, the dear friend of Prince Murat. 
She appeared on this occasion in a black princess 
—48— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

robe of Chantilly over cerise peau de sole, a lace 
skirt, a little parasol to match, cerise silk stockings 
embroidered in black, suede shoes with silver 
buckles, and the tiniest hat. Her carriage was 
lined with crimson, and black buttons. The foot- 
men wore a livery of crimson and black. 

I shall never forget the picture of the Empress 
Eugenie herself on that eventful Sunday at Long- 
champs. She appeared in a robe of turquoise 
taffeta all flounced to the waist, trimmed with tiny 
narrow blue Sevres ribbons edging the flounces; a 
white mantilla of Spanish lace, a hat of Italian 
straw, trimmed with bunches of corn flowers and 
forget-me-nots. She was universally admired as 
she drove up in the Imperial carriage drawn by 
four horses with postillion outriders, Napoleon III 
at her side, and Prince Lulu and General Fleury, 
the Adjutant, facing her. It seems only yester- 
day, so freshly is the picture imprinted on my mind. 

What a background the delightful Bois de Bou- 
logne made, on the borders of the lake ! 

Those were days of continual gaiety, of his- 
torical illuminations and grand balls. Who will 
forget that gala night at the opera, when the Czar 
of Russia was visiting Paris? It was during this 
visit that some madman shot at the Emperor in the 

—49— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Bois de Boulogne. What a commotion, and how 
well I remember the indignation of the French 
people! Yet he was present at the opera that 
night. The programme was "L'Africaine." That 
was the day when Lasalle was the world's famous 
basso, and Madame Sachs was the prima donna of 
the evening. What a tremendous shout of en- 
thusiasm greeted the Emperor of Russia when he 
entered the royal box with Napoleon III and Em- 
press Eugenie, surrounded by their courtiers I 

"Vive le Czar, vive l'lmperatrice." 

The noise was deafening. All degrees and 
classes of people mingled together courteously, 
pro tern, at that wonderful operatic event. For a 
time they forgot their old feuds, their positions, 
their ambitions. The harmony of Meyerbeer's 
music, the glorious voices of the great prima donna 
and basso, made even these Potentates human. 
The charm of that elaborate, marvellous assembly 
must still be vivid in the memory of many now 
living, who had the pleasure and advantage to 
see it. 

All the world came to Paris, and whenever the 
Imperial couple drove out in public, they were sur- 
rounded by cavalry. The constant attendant of 
—50— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

Empress Eugenie was Major Johnstone, who stood 
six feet four. Every one adored him, he was all 
but worshipped. His station was always near the 
boudoir of Her Imperial Majesty, and, of course, 
scandal deftly tried to embarrass this idyl. The 
Empress was quite able to take care of her reputa- 
tion, however, and when her only son, Prince Lulu, 
as he was called, came into the limelight, such mat- 
ters were forgotten. Undesirables flocked to 
Paris, swayed upon the threshold of society but 
never could enter the precincts. Huge sums were 
paid by the Rastaqueres to get a glimpse of the 
social paradise, but Eugenie was exclusive, and if 
in her youth she had not been quite so particular, 
it must be laid at the door of her mother's gener- 
osity, who always wanted to befriend the cavaliers 
who were blessed with the Golden Fleece, the 
greatest order in Spain. In her early days, before 
her marriage, the Empress enjoyed the freedom 
of the Spanish nobility, with glee and zest. 

France was a paradise of all that art and luxury 
could procure in the Second Empire. When the 
war of '70 broke out, it was Her Imperial High- 
ness who called it "my war," which called forth the 
following verses in Germany: — 

—51— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

"Doch das eine must du wissen, 
Mark dires wenn es dir beliebt 
Das der Schwindel hier zu Ende 
Wenn's am Rhine Keile giebt." 

Such were the words accredited from the Em- 
peror of France to the Empress Eugenie. 

Another great historic event of the Second Em- 
pire was the celebration opening the Suez Canal, 
at which their Imperial Majesties, Napoleon III 
and Empress Eugenie, were the inspiring figures. 
I remember distinctly the celebrated Monsieur de 
Lesseps, who, standing with his lovely Creole wife, 
was decorated with the ribbon of the Legion of 
Honour. Having created this colossal engineering 
feat, if Monsieur de Lesseps had only halted there ! 
Then, the fiasco of Panama would never have been 
possible. 

This occasion was "la folie de grandeur." Her 
Imperial Majesty Empress Eugenie absorbed all 
interest, lending a natural charm and grace to the 
historical importance of this gigantic enterprise. 
All clamoured to do her homage. The wonderful 
festivities, the illuminations at night, the fireworks, 
were upon a scale which fairly beggars description. 

Many of those wonderful women of the Second 
Empire had not survived the years as well as the 
—52— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

beautiful Empress Eugenie. And yet there were 
many ravishing beauties to remember. 

It was Napoleon III who christened the Prin- 
cess Pauline Metternich, La Belle Laide. She 
was one of the many women of the Second Empire 
who understood the art of dress to perfection. 
The Princess Metternich was small, piquant, won- 
derfully spirituelle in appearance, which belied her 
otherwise rather caustic and ready wit. This gift 
of satire often placed her in very awkward posi- 
tions, yet she managed to extricate herself at all 
times valiantly. She was famous for her repartee. 
Her toilettes were proverbially regarded as inspir- 
ing, her smart turnout, her thoroughbred horses, 
were all of the finest. She was very popular at 
the Imperial Court. She was formerly Countess 
Chandos, and her brother distinguished himself by 
the marvellous feat of swimming the Danube on 
horseback. 

Then there was the tall and graceful Madame 
Gallifet, who created a style all her own. She was 
the wife of the celebrated General Gallifet. She 
was a famous horsewoman, a sparkling conversa- 
tionalist, and a power at the Imperial Court that 
everyone recognised. Although she was extremely 
popular, she was exclusive to a degree. Her salons 

—53— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

were the vogue, and all the society of Paris at that 
period was very anxious to be asked to her inti- 
mate receptions. It was Madame Gallifet who 
originated a witticism that has since been used by 
dramatists and wits. 

To the old Marquis de N she said : 

"Why do you not marry the Duchess de C ?" 

"My dear Madame, where do you imagine, in 
that case, I could spend my evenings?" he replied. 
Madame Gallifet startled the Paris fashions by 
the daring of her gowns, for which nature had 
amply fitted her. The celebrated Worth was her 
favourite dressmaker. We have not been able to 
improve upon the artistic designs which Worth 
created for these exquisite women of the Second 
Empire. 

The tailor-made woman had scarcely arrived at 
this time, and therefore, it is perhaps safe to say 
that the Marquise d'Elboeuf, later the Duchess de 
Morny, was the first mannish type of the nineteenth 
century. Her brother emphasised her masculine 
tendencies by a story told of him at the club. In a 
burst of enthusiasm one evening, and of pardon- 
able vanity, he made the following confidence to a, 
friend : 

—54— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

"My sister and myself," he said, "have known 
intimately the most beautiful women in Paris." 

The Paris of long ago enjoyed its gaiety in true 
Parisian quality. To the rest of the world this 
may have seemed occasionally scandalous, but to 
Paris it was mere harmless exuberance of wit. 
Paris was extravagant in the days of the Second 
Empire. 

At a certain exclusive club in Paris the beautiful 
"Isabelle" sold buttonhole bouquets at fabulous 
prices. A hundred francs for a gardenia, fifty 
francs for a rosebud, twenty-five francs for a bunch 
of violets. She retired with a fortune of a mil- 
lion francs. The gallants of the period would 
never dream of appearing at the race-track with- 
out wearing one of "Isabelle's" boutonnieres. With 
a black lace mantilla draped over her handsome 
head, a plain black cashmere princess gown that 
displayed her wonderful figure, everybody in the 
grande monde talked to her, told her little tidbits 
of scandal, challenged her in conversation. "Isa- 
belle" was typical of Paris of the Second Empire. 

The Magnificent homes on the Champs £lysee in 
Paris all had their romances of one sort or another. 
None was more sumptuous or extravagant than 
the palace of the Princess Henkel-Donnersmark." 

—55— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Her career was romantic, her presence glorious, 
her extravagance indescribable. Millions were lav- 
ished upon the artistic and elaborate interior of her 
home. It was truly gorgeous. 

Princess Henkel-Donnersmark was formerly 
Madame de Paiva. She was Polish, tall, with real 
blue-black hair, and those wonderful liquid brown- 
black eyes, very large and luminous. She was dis- 
tinctly Oriental in type, and being conscious of the 
power of her eyes, she painted blue circles around 
them, and inspired them with belladonna, which 
gave them a lustre that held one spellbound. Her 
ideas were barbaric, but she was always gowned to 
perfection. Being Oriental in taste, she wore won- 
derful jewels. Her rubies, emeralds and sapphires 
reminded one of the glories of Cleopatra. She 
usually wore trailing robes, and as her movements 
were serpentine, she was christened in Paris the 
"Cobra." Her star of fortune had not always 
been brilliant. The early years of her life had 
been somewhat mysterious. The story was told 
of her that when she first came to Paris she 
was so poor that she was literally starving. On 
the very ground where she built her sumptuous 
home on the Champs filysee, she had been found 
sitting one day upon a little wooden bench, hungry 
—50— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

and forlorn. The Prince Charming of her career, 
a gentleman, approached her and charitably 
offered her his protection and a meal. Her rise in 
the world became notorious, because she was fa- 
mous for an extravagance that rivalled that of the 
Byzantine Empresses. 

I have visited her home, which contained gor- 
geous mosaics, and was built of marble. It was 
filled with the most wonderful pictures and works 
of art. It was rumoured in Paris that she was the 
political agent of one of the most influential Em- 
pires. How true this was, no one knew. The 
Malachite marble staircase, the bathroom lined with 
real lace over gold and turquoise, her bedroom and 
boudoir, sumptuously furnished with Smyrna car- 
pets and Kurdistan rugs, gave these rooms an im- 
pression of a harem. There was neither a chair nor 
a sofa anywhere in them, only the most beautiful 
cushions of all tints of the rainbow, placed around 
low tabourets. The rooms were in perpetual arti- 
ficial light of a rose and mauve coloured shade. The 
effect of all this weird atmosphere of course en- 
hanced the beauty of this gorgeous woman. When 
I knew her, she had long passed her zenith, yet she 
still ruled her husband with an iron hand and many 
friends besides. This magnificent home of hers in 

—57— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Paris was subsequently sold, and became a very 
smart restaurant, but without much success. 

The first time the Princess Henkel-Donners- 
mark received me was in a sort of lounge-room ad- 
joining her bath. The Princess was wearing a 
gown as diaphanous as cobweb; she gave the im- 
pression of Venus rising from her bath in draperies 
of trailing foam. Her bath itself was a revela- 
tion. Instead of the usual pool, there was a font 
or huge vase of clearest crystal bound with copper, 
studded with turquoise. The water which poured 
from this font was perfumed, and in this huge vase 
of perfumed water the Princess would sit for hours, 
while in three corners around her were gold chal- 
ices also set with turquoise in which burned in- 
censes of India. There were a succession of baths, 
Turkish, Russian and others. Of course, I was 
overcome with the magnificence of her surround- 
ings. Although it was real, I had to pinch myself 
to be convinced that the Princess, when she ad- 
dressed me in Polish, was really a modern human 
being. Her manner was very autocratic. 

"O, dear," she said, "please call my valet and my 
maid." 

I was told it was her custom to receive the mem- 
bers of the diplomatic corps in Paris, the celebrated 
—58— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

Bohemians, the artists of France, in a similar 
diaphanous gown. My conversation with her was 
confined, however, to the burning question of the 
day, — the Princess' new gowns. It is interesting 
to recall what we decided upon. One dress was of 
scarlet Lyons velvet, trimmed with chinchilla, and 
a cloak to match. This was an afternoon dress. 
Another was an evening gown of Duchess satin, 
embroidered with jet and gold intermingled with 
pearls, and trimmed with marten fur tails. Her 
mantle was of Peruvian chinchilla trimmed with 
Russian ermine. 

She sleeps, — forgiven let us hope, — this modern 
Aspasia and Magdalen. Her house is now a dress- 
maker's establishment, being transferred from a 
temple of love to a temple of fashion. 

Emil Zola's novel of "Nana" may be almost for- 
gotten to-day, but in its time it was a very faithful 
picture of one of the beauties of the Second Em- 
pire. I knew this beautiful woman who was the 
original inspiration of the great French author for 
this character. She was very graceful, tall, 
blonde, by name Blanche l'Oeil Crevee. She was 
tremendously admired, so much so that she had 
very little time for her art, because she was such a 
vogue. She understood the joy of living as Pari- 

—59— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

sians understood it then. The dinner parties she 
gave at the Cafe Anglais, surrounded by men who 
laid their fortunes, but not their names, at her feet, 
were celebrated. She did not seem to care much 
for their names, or for themselves for that 
matter, as long as she could sup, and dine, 
and dress. She was a goddess of pleasure, and her 
life was one perpetual round of emotion. She 
flashed upon the life of Paris like a comet, and like 
a comet she went. Zola alone immortalised her 
idealism. 

It was at this period that Teresa, the woman with 
the man's voice, the most famous contralto of her 
time, puzzled me very much as a dressmaker. Her 
favourite colours were pale blue and green, and she 
always wanted the richest satins if possible. Her 
decolletage was outrageous, but she was a great 
Alcazar favourite in Paris. I think she still lives 
the simple life, on a chicken farm. From the sub- 
lime to the ridiculous is only a step. Teresa was, 
as one great artist described her to me, the most 
fascinating, but the most intensely vulgar person- 
ality, of the French stage. She was as celebrated 
and popular in Paris as Nellie Farren was in Lon- 
don. 

She was of a type of stage beauty who led the 
—60— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

young, unsophisticated aristocracy to worship at 
her shrine, without fear, but with many reproaches. 
The Due D'Aumale was an enormous admirer of 
hers, and the little cafe near St. Cloud was an ador- 
able retreat. 

Who will forget that delightful mimic, Judic, 
who startled Paris in her famous bathing costume, 
escorted by the jovial Baron, as her bathing-mas- 
ter. She was unique in her toilettes, which were 
indeed very daring, and yet never crude or vulgar. 
Judic began as a variety singer at the Eldorado; 
suddenly she blossomed forth one day as a prima 
donna in opera at the Theatre Varietee on the 
Boulevard de Montmartre. She sang very well, 
but her vivacity, and her more than decollete songs, 
created an immense furore. Judic was dark, of 
the Oriental type, inclined to be stout. She wore 
skirts as short as possible, inviting the crowd to 
"come and see more of me." 

Most of the French actresses aped the style and 
manners of the grandes dames. This was cleverly 
satirised in one of Offenbach's opera bouffes called 
"La Vie Parisienne." 

But, Paris in 1867 outrivalled every other city in 
the world, in pleasure, in wit, in toilettes. 

A bal masque given at the Grand Opera House 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

in Paris just before the war of 1870, was the final 
whirl of this maddening Paris before the shadows 
settled over her. I remember a famous Russian 
Grand Duchess who appeared in the costume of 
"Sappho." When it came time for her to leave 
her box, which had been continually surrounded by 
a curious crowd, it was necessary to call the police 
to make room for her to pass out, — to allow Venus 
to go home. 

These recollections of Paris at this time are 
so full of interesting people and events, that we 
were obliged to run away from it to recuperate. 
So, the winter of 1868 found myself and my hus- 
band installed in a villa at Monte Carlo, the para- 
dise or inferno of Europe, whichever you care to 
make it. 

It was at Monte Carlo I met the beautiful 
American girl, Fanny Lear. Her affair with an 
Imperial Grand Duke was an international scan- 
dal. The superb pearls, rubies and sapphires 
which were showered upon her by the Grand Duke, 
were discovered afterwards to be the personal jew- 
els of his royal mother, for which little lapse of eti- 
quette he was exiled from the Czar's domain for a 
long time. The Grand Duke's influence evidently 
left its impression upon Fanny Lear after their 
—62— 




BARONESS DE RAMELM AND HER DAUGHTERS AT THE SWEDISH EMBASSY 
The Swedish ladies of the Court, Countess Lewenhaupt and the Baroness 
de Ramelm, charming, modest ladies, gowned in perfect taste, who accom- 
plished a renovation in social matters in England. 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

separation, for her gowns were always purely Rus- 
sian in style, heavily trimmed with jewels and em- 
broidery, which greatly enriched her peculiar Ori- 
ental beauty. I am not sure whether originally 
she came from Philadelphia or from one of those 
charming cities in the Southern states. She had 
beautiful eyes, glorious hair of a nut-brown shade, 
and teeth like pearls, but when showing them in a 
ravishing smile, one saw a rather cruel and cynical 
mouth. She was intelligent far above the average. 
Our conversation, which usually began on the ab- 
sorbing topic of woman's gowns, drifted along to 
beauty, poetry, wit, till it was time to say "good 
night." I remember meeting her at a grand recep- 
tion given by one of our celebrated actresses, in a 
gown that no one could ever forget. It was an 
opal-coloured royal satin, profoundly trimmed with 
Borano lace, a corsage covered with real opals, and 
strings of black pearls, to complete this ravishing 
toilette. Her cloak was a regal wrap of Russian 
sable, entirely trimmed with rose miroire velvet. 
Sumptuous in every way were these women of the 
last century, and they did not seem to care whether 
it was their own money or some one else's. It was 
the age of vampires in a measure, and many of 
them, alas, finished badly. 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

In Paris we met, one evening at supper, that 
wonderful artiste. Princess Marie Eristoff , Mounet 
Sully and the Prince, and many other celebrities. 
The Princess took a fancy to me, and made quite 
a lovely crayon drawing of me. She was wonder- 
fully quick, and in three hours I took this spon- 
taneous memento back to my hotel. She was ex- 
tremely lovely, with ashen blonde hair, and very 
slender, eyes like chameleon, always changing, a 
voice like a rippling fall of water, perfectly modu- 
lated and a trifle sad. In after years we met by 
chance through a mutual acquaintance, a Brazilian 
beauty, Parola de Paranguay, and so renewed an 
old friendship. Princess Marie Eristoff came to 
London and painted my portrait life size. Every 
one who saw it pronounced it a perfect likeness al- 
though perhaps it is a little idealistic and futuris- 
tique in influence. She exhibited it at the Waldorf 
with some others of her works, portraits of Prince 
George of Servia, Sacha Votischenkow, the great 
Russian Tymphan artist, a Russian dancer, and 
others. I hear she is now in great demand, and is 
painting the portraits of many of the brothers, sons 
and sweethearts, in khaki, for those loved ones left 
behind, and that most of her fees are turned over at 
once to charity, which is like her generous heart. 
—64-^ 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

Her atelier in Paris was often filled with Russian 
grand dukes and duchesses from the embassy, who 
like the flavour of Bohemia. And we used to drink 
coffee from an earthen Roman pitcher, and eat 
black bread with butter from a broken earthenware 
saucer. Spellbound we would listen to the weird 
music of the Tymphan, and one of her favourites, 
that Sacha was often called upon to play, was an 
imaginary storm on the Volga. Sacha, too, is now 
in this country, and only before his departure from 
England he had the honour of playing before Queen 
Alexandra, Grand Duchess Marie and the Prin- 
cess Victoria. When I recall the days of these fa- 
mous men and women, notorious perhaps too often, 
one wonders that the twentieth century is so void of 
all these perpetual, piquant incidents. We have 
progressed indeed, but have we perhaps not dete- 
riorated, too, in some things. 

The enchantress of the Second Empire was, in a 
primitive sense, less regardless than the modern 
"flapper," who so mysteriously defies us. The 
Court romances of the Second Empire were dis- 
tinctly more humane and graceful than those of a 
later Court, across the sea from France. 

Napoleon III had a streak of vulgarity, a taint 
of the cad in him. It often happens that men who 

—65— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

are able in warfare and diplomacy, in their dealings 
with women are unpardonable. He lacked the 
gift of reticence towards his affairs with women. 
Nothing could have been more disreputable than 
the sordid and cruel delight in the tone with which 
he discusses his opportunities of escape from serious 

responsibilities with Madame R , a lady of his 

Court. She had been persona grata with the Im- 
perial family, the confidante of the Empress, and 
the victim of all the grievances that Her Imperial 
Majesty could imagine. Sometimes the ladies of 
the Court of the Second Empire pursued a thought 
of unavoidable feeling of justice towards the beau- 
tiful Empress Eugenie. That is to say, they ac- 
cepted the presents of the Emperor Napoleon, and 
kept faith in vital things with the Empress. 

The story is told of the famous Madame de 

P , who was greatly admired by the Emperor, 

that she was invited by him to the Tuileries Palace 
to inspect the royal apartment. When the Em- 
peror led her to the bedroom of the Empress, she 
turned to His Imperial Majesty and gracefully 
disarmed him. 

"I cannot admire fully," she said, "the exquisite 
conveniences of this room in the absence of Her 
Majesty, the chief ornament." 
—66— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

Napoleon had no adequate reply to such adroit- 
ness, and so he sent a gentleman to the Empress, 
requesting her to come at once and acknowledge 
her indebtedness to Madame de P . 

That was Napoleon III in his best romantic 
mood. It was not always the attitude of Madame 
de P., however. She managed to amass many val- 
uable jewels, and to hide them from her husband. 
Napoleon's attraction towards her was not irresisti- 
ble, because he had little personal charm, but Ma- 
dame de P. could not be entirely blind to the mate- 
rial advantages gained by an affair with the Em- 
peror. It is recorded that she gave her affection 
and fidelity to her Imperial mistress, the Empress. 
As a woman, inevitably subject to flattery, Ma- 
dame de P. was no doubt pleased by the romantic 
homage of Napoleon. The heart of the Empress 
Eugenie was no doubt disturbed with bitterness 
that comes to the woman who is childless, her ambi- 
tion also may have inspired her with a desire for an 
heir apparent. These are merely observations of 
analysis, without actual fact in history. Commen- 
tators of her time accused her of being lethargic, 
others believed that she was unwilling. No one 
has solved the mystery of how she spent her quiet 
moments. 

—67— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Strive as we will, to study the inner character of 
the Empress Eugenie from the many portraits, we 
cannot decide whether she was happy or unhappy. 
Those portraits of her, made in the earlier years 
of her reign, give a very benign expression. There 
is a great change in those portraits taken of her dur- 
ing the years when she was in her zenith, when the 
obsessions of power had brought a slight cynical 
weariness, to mark her features. Were the eyes of 
the Empress cynical? In these portraits of her fa- 
mous years, they are full and open, looking with an 
air of tolerable candour on the world, yet with an 
expression in her elevated eyebrows, of question. 
In the later portraits, owing perhaps to the fashion 
of the sidelong, averted gaze and exaggerated roug- 
ing, to the portrait painter's custom of giving beau- 
tiful women the delicate, tapering hands, we must 
perhaps allow for the artistic convention of the pe- 
riod, yet, these portraits speak clearly for the nerv- 
ous refinement of this wonderful woman. 

She moved amidst the dramatis persona? in- 
scrutably. She was especially inscrutable to the 
unscrupulous politician, that genius, that pictur- 
esque personality, streaked with facts which one 
encounters in human nature as one does in geologi- 
cal formations. Those who feared her hated her, 
—68— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

and their hatred, bred of common minds, was a 
greater homage to her than their love. She was 
always hopeful of any episode which might provide 
a clue to some new intrigue of the court. She was 
complex, ardent, facing the future with some defi- 
nite plan that she did not declare. 

The satirical wits of the Court, unable to pene- 
trate her motive, described her as an emotional lob- 
ster salad. There were many in the Court of the 
Second Empire, however, with fine personalities, 
who, like Her Imperial Majesty, moved untouched 
amid the evil of that Empire. Napoleon's amours 
were treated with mild, yet jealous intolerance by 
his consort. Mild, chiefly because, though these epi- 
sodes were picturesquely brilliant, they were hol- 
low. 

The Princess Pauline Metternich retained her 
beauty and her wit after sixty years of coquetry 
and social reign. She was not so beautiful but she 
was sprightly, gay, full of character and electric 
charm. 

The Princess de S. was really beautiful, with her 
fair hair and complexion, and rounded figure. The 
beauty of her face was almost angelic, she had 
pearl-white skin, blue eyes, and her hair looked like 
gold, cooled in moonlight, Such was the princess 

—69— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

in her early youth. Her intellectual brilliancy in- 
volved her in politics, for it was at her house that 
those famous parties were held which were regarded 
with so much disfavour by the legitimist faction. It 
is stated that she secretly married a brilliant roue, 
to legitimize her amatory discrepancies. It was 
noticeable that the Emperor treated her with far 
more reserve and respect than he generally ac- 
corded to the ladies whose society he frequented. 
She frequently drove out in public with the Imperial 
couple, and when she left France for Spain they 
accompanied her. When she died, it caused great 
distress to every one, and especially to myself, due 
to the honour which she had extended to me on my 
arrival at Court. Besides her many other perfec- 
tions which made her admirable, she possessed that 
one of being a loyal friend. 

"I shall revere her memory and mourn her all 
my days," were the words of the Empress Eugenie 
when the Princess de S. died. 

As the old harem days of Napoleon's reign pass 
from our vision, there is a unique fact in the knowl- 
edge that some of the men who surrounded him had 
such a horror of impropriety that it is surprising 
they should have been there at all. However, 
Napoleon III was always scrupulously correct in 
—70— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

good manners. Still, the liberty and licence of the 
Court invite the curious question as to which of 
these men who were so insistent for the proprieties, 
was the greatest fraud. 

There is a piquant story told of a certain Court 
lady, a Spanish beauty, who in every detail of fem- 
inine perfection seriously rivalled the Empress 
Eugenie. Many at Court hated her, for she inter- 
fered quite seriously with their own affairs with 
the Emperor. It was generally admitted that his 
sentiments towards this lady were very sincere, so 
much so, that he carried her letters constantly with 
him. 

By a conspiracy of the Empress and her Court 
ladies, she was finally entirely frightened away 
from the Court balls. It was a very simple plan. 
Whenever she arrived, looking radiantly beautiful, 
the Court ladies would get around her and tell her 
how ill she was looking, until being convinced that 
she was not looking her best, she would run out of 
the salon before the Emperor could see her, entirely 
duped by the mischief of these Court ladies. 

One of the really daring beauties of the Court of 
the Second Empire was Madame d'Elboeuf. She 
was not very tall, but striking, and she exacted ad- 
miration, awaited love at every turn. Her fore- 

—71— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

head needed no device of curls, her lips were rather 
too thin, but her teeth were beautiful, and she was 
regarded by able sculptors as a figure worthy of 
classical beauty to rank with the creations of the 
sculptors of Rome and Greece. She was brazenly 
intolerant of virtue in other women, which she re- 
garded as improbable and perhaps impossible. 

I must give a passing word to two women, who, 
though not in the Court circles, were so famous for 
their beauty, their mental vivacity and promiscu- 
ous adventures, as to be typical of the women of 
the Second Empire. They were both respectably 

born. Blanche d'l , one of these women, was 

the daughter of a man of the world and a distinctly 
pious mother. Brown-eyed, laughter loving, yet 
not suggestive of mere bubbling mirth, she always 
had a rather severe, haughty expression. She had 
many adorers, shared many intrigues. Her con- 
temporary, Anne Delyon, was a being of inferior 
calibre. She was much admired by the Duke de 
Morny. She would accept gifts of any sort, 
clothes, bric-a-brac, anything that had value, and 
she talked with pride of the important men who 
had supplied them. She frequently visited a cer- 
tain Grand Duke, dressed as a page, and displayed 
his costly gifts with much self-congratulation. The 
—72— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

partner of her earlier aberrations was a decadent 
poet of the Second Empire, whom she really loved. 
But then, she really loved only seven men after all, 
so she averred in the recital of her book, "Libre 
Amoris." 

The names of these two women were chronicled 
among the Court babblers of the Imperial era. 

On every page of record in gallantry, in intrigue 
or diplomatic episodes of this period, one will find 
some allusion to the brilliant Princess R., with a 
man's intellect diverted by a woman's caprice. She 
was ever beguiling, even in her most indifferent 
moments. Her husband, the prince, though stern 
in appearance, looked on at her affairs with the 
admiration one may feel for the gambols of a lovely 
kitten, but who became adamant when he found 
that she was interfering with the serious affairs of 
state. Her sprightly activities made the dull at- 
mosphere of other neglected Court ladies brighter. 
Her attachment to her various beaux outlived 
many vicissitudes, and the princess, in a way that 
was careless and self-seeking, did her best. Per- 
haps, after all, she only used her powers to form a 
cover for her own romances. Her affair with the 
English Duke of H. was only a blind, for the 
princess favoured her English lover, so they say, and 

— 73— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

dared almost everything. When visiting a certain 
country house, the prince wished her to leave with 
him but she refused. She was not herself quite 
sure of her hospitality, but she did not wish to give 
the world the impression that her only home was 
her husband's. 

She was often on the brink of disgrace but al- 
ways escaped. In her resplendent womanhood she 
captivated every one. After the fall of the Empire 
she was implicated in some clandestine correspon- 
dence with the Empress. In these letters she in- 
formed Her Imperial Majesty that a certain Arch- 
bishop would do anything for her, if she favoured 
him. It was not discovered that the prelate was 
really deeply in the toils of the enchantress, but he 
did provide her means to get out of France. 
Dressed as a man, she set off with a couple of 
horsemen as her sole escorts, but in her usual casual 
fashion left the evidence of her guilt behind. She 
was provided with ample means by an acquaintance 
whom she did not betray, for it might have been 
fatal to her incognito until she reached the frontier. 
She sent her lover a colossal sum, and promised him 
that when she died he should have her jewels. She 
had many adventures in Holland and Germany. 
It is said that on one of these expeditions, she 
—74— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

stopped at an inn in her man's disguise and slept 
on the floor with other men, undisturbed. The 
next morning she left a note for the stupefied land- 
lord, which informed him that a princess had slept 
in his house. 

I cannot leave this fascinating element of coque- 
try of the Second Empire without again referring 
to that delicate beauty, Madame de Gallifet. She 
will go down into history as a woman who in spite 
of her eagerness for life and all its enchantment, 
never was known to say an evil thing of any one. 
She is one of the rare figures in the picturesque tap- 
estry of time. When she was a girl it was said 
that she knelt at the altar, praying that she might 
some night go to Court. She obtained her wish, 
she was enrolled as Maid of Honour, and it was on 
this occasion that her future husband saw her. He 
was a stiff and formal lover. For a long while he 
went no further than to express himself in flowery 
speech, and the dear girl began to feel that she 
had nothing to fear from him beyond the possi- 
bility of being bored. I have good cause to be- 
lieve that she found great happiness in her married 
life. 

That famous picture by Winterhalter, of the 
Empress Eugenie, surrounded by her group of fair 

—75— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

women, is typical of the Second Empire. It was 
so famous, that in after years proofs of it were sold 
for over a hundred thousand francs. I believe the 
original is in the Louvre. 

Shortly after the war trumpet had sounded the 
call of duty, and the fall of the Second Empire had 
occurred, I was crossing on a channel steamer from 
Folkestone to Boulogne. The boat was extremely 
crowded and I had to stand up. A lady in deep 
mourning passed me. There was another lady 
with her, who, I later found out, was Madame de 
Faucourt. Both ladies, like myself, were wedged 
in so tightly, that they could not move. A sailor 
boy brought me a wooden stool, and the lady in 
deep mourning looked so longingly at it, that I 
quite unconsciously asked her to divide the seat 
with me. So for a little while we sat back to back. 
Presently she said to me in French: 

"Madame, do you know a dance called the quad- 
rille?" 

"Yes," I said, and she half jestingly added that 
we were executing a figure of the quadrille. 

Of course, later I learned it was the Empress, 

and I recalled to her the name of my aunt, whom 

she had known so well in her glorious days, and we 

chatted. When we arrived at Boulogne, the Em- 

—76— 



COURT BEAUTIES— SECOND EMPIRE 

press got up, and as we bowed to each other she 
lifted her veil, then I bowed again and courtesied, 
and thanked her for the pleasant crossing, and she 
graciously extended me her hand, which I kissed. 
We went different ways, for I was going to Monte 
Carlo to meet my late husband, and she was going 
to Cap Martin, where she had a lovely villa. 

I also met her later in those sublime shady walks 
on the Mediterranean. Between those olive and 
almond trees she would come slowly along, leaning 
rather heavily upon her stick, accompanied by her 
friend, the Duke de Bassano. 



—77— 



CHAPTER II 

RECOLLECTIONS OF QUEEN VICTORIA 

I shall never forget the dignity of Queen Vic- 
toria. It was most remarkable, because in stature 
and figure Her Majesty was by no means regal. 
There was an invulnerable air about her, a supreme 
consciousness of her royal person, that every one 
felt in her presence. I had the honour of meeting 
her many times, and I always marvelled at the mys- 
terious atmosphere of royal identity which seemed 
to enfold the rather short, stout, plain little lady, 
who was England's wisest and most gracious 
Queen. She had the most perfect arms and hands 
of any woman I ever saw. Perhaps knowing this, 
she always wore beautiful gold bracelets, one of 
them bearing her late husband's miniature. On 
the other was an enormous cameo. Queen Vic- 
toria never adopted the style of her period of wear- 
ing bones in her bodice. In later years she used to 
wear one-piece gowns made by the silk mercers, al- 
ways especially woven for her at Spittlefields. She 
—78— 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

was perhaps the one Queen in Europe who never 
bought, or had made for her in the way of dress 
anything that was not English and ultra-conserva- 
tive. All her gowns had long trains, and since the 
demise of the Prince Consort, her husband, she al- 
ways wore black. I can only remember that on 
one or two occasions she relieved this sombre attire 
with a white plume, or a bunch of lilacs in her bon- 
net. Yet, she was every inch a Queen. 

They did not study the form divine in 1830. 
Perhaps they didn't care to accentuate the curves 
and lines of the women of that period. At any rate, 
they dressed themselves like nice sofa cushions, hid 
their beauty of face in coal scuttle bonnets and huge 
shovel hats. The early Victorian toilettes in respect 
of decolletage, were perhaps not over-modest, still 
there were occasional restraints. 

There was a strenuous effort in the Victorian 
Era, to establish the idea that there were none but 
honest women in England at that time. This im- 
pulse was inspired entirely by Queen Victoria her- 
self, whose delicate, fastidious taste looked with 
horror upon any compromising act, not because of 
its indiscretion, but because it indicated a common 
mind. This may have been a chill of temperament 
which Her Majesty inherited. I am told that in 

—79— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

her youth she possessed a charm over all men who 
approached her that they could not ignore. After 
attracting them first by her youth and loveliness, 
she held their attention and admiration by her 
many remarkable qualities of conversation, of wit 
and brilliancy. When, however, any man at- 
tempted to cross the slender barrier which separates 
the courtier from the outspoken admirer, they 
found her surrounded by a wall of ice, impalpable, 
but impassible. The court ladies of Queen Vic- 
toria's early years were often filled with jealous 
envy towards the Queen. These women created 
some gossip but in spite of all they said, it is an 
indisputable fact that at no instant of her life was 
Queen Victoria's conduct anything but a transpar- 
ent record of virtue. 

Once only, it is said, did a man forget the respect 
due to his sovereign, and in fact to his own honour, 
as to yield to the temptation of acknowledging a 
devoted passion for the Queen. On this account, 
for a long time, the Duke of M. was banished from 
the Court. The story itself, I believe, was related 
by him. 

It was on the night of a state ball, just after the 
Queen had been crowned, and being fatigued by the 
heat and glare of the drawing-rooms. Her Majesty 
—80— 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

stepped out upon the terrace, illumined by the chaste 
radiance of a full moon. She was accompanied by 
the young Duchess of Bedford, who had been one of 
her bridesmaids. The Queen, clad from head to 
foot in snowy laces, with great emeralds gleaming 
on her white neck and in the masses of her beau- 
tiful hair, moved slowly up and down, close to the 
marble balustrade of the terrace. She was talk- 
ing to her companion, in that melodious, low voice, 
which always had something so marvellously capti- 
vating about it. Presently she reached a secluded 
and shadowy corner of a long, rose-bowered walk, 
when suddenly, from beneath the trees, the Duke 

of M stepped out. It was evident from his 

manner that he had lost all control of his feelings. 
He cast himself at Her Majesty's feet and then 
and there confessed his earnest devotion. In the 
torrent of his eloquence, his unconsidered words 
were beyond all pardon. It is said that he clung 
to her skirts, his eyes sparkling like fire, his whole 
frame shaken with fierce emotion. 

Her Majesty shook herself free, stared at him in 
amazement, then drew herself up and looked upon 
him as if he were some infuriated animal she wished 
to subdue. His Grace saw at once that she was im- 
placably offended. It was probably the first and 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

the last time in her life that any one had ever pre- 
sumed to insult her. 

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, almost choking 
with fury. The Duke pursued his mad declara- 
tion, and of course found himself talking at last to 
the empty air, for the Queen moved away rapidly 
and re-entered the castle by a side door, leaving him 
blinded by his own emotions. It is said that he 
wandered around the gardens of Windsor Castle 
most of the night. 

Nothing annoyed the Queen so much in her 
earlier years as to appear in public, to be stared at 
by the struggling crowds who tried to get as close 
to her as possible. To the common people her pe- 
culiar style of beauty was not comprehensible, it 
was a kind which had nothing gross or ordinary 
about it. Her wonderful ivory-like complexion, 
her erect, dignified bearing, were utterly for- 
eign to the popular expectations in England of a 
Queen, and yet, no Queen on any throne of Europe 
ever deserved more credit for queenly dignity, not 
only of outward form, but also of inward charac- 
ter, than Queen Victoria. 

Her one fault, perhaps, was a perfectly natural 
jealousy of her Consort, Prince Albert. The early 
years of Her Majesty's marriage were shockingly 
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

unhappy, and when a woman is unhappy she is 
never wise. But England received the joyful tid- 
ings that Queen Victoria had been blessed with a 
son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. With the 
birth of this princelet all the bells of England rang 
out joyously, bonfires illuminated the landscape, 
and there began for Queen Victoria a long reign 
of unalloyed happiness, into which the yellow mon- 
ster of jealousy never again intruded. 

One could write volumes of the period during 
which the wonderful children of Queen Victoria 
were growing up to inherit their difficult destinies. 
Queen Victoria saw many sorrows come to these 
children, and sustained them with her quiet 
strength. Her daughter, the Princess Royal, who 
married Kaiser Friedrich, endured the same sor- 
rows of widowhood as her mother, when the Em- 
peror of Germany died. With all her children 
happily settled she spent the few remaining years 
of her widowhood in seclusion, the Kaiser and 
Prince Henry being her only surviving sons. 

Queen Victoria's widowhood was particularly 
peaceful and remote from public appearances. She 
lived an ideal life with her widowed daughter, 
Princess Beatrice of Battenberg, partly in Bal- 
moral, partly in the Isle of Wight. Princess Bea- 

—83— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

trice was created a governor of the Isle of Wight, 
and both she and her mother were adored by the 
people of this delightful place. The royal house- 
hold was managed perhaps rather strictly, puri- 
tanically, but this did not affect the Battenberg 
children. They romped and played as other chil- 
dren, and their royal grandma was very human, 
very indulgent. 

The question has often been asked if the Batten- 
berg menage was a happy one. It is still a query. 
At any rate, the Prince went away, and rumour 
said, it was because the Princess Beatrice had in- 
herited much of her mother's characteristic jeal- 
ousy. The Prince was an extraordinarily handsome 
man. Like all the Battenbergs, he had inherited 
from a morganatic mother, who was a rarely beau- 
tiful Jewess, much of her good looks and her intelli- 
gence. All the Battenbergs married well, for they 
were very popular and charming princes. 

The first time I met Queen Victoria personally, 
I was summoned to Windsor Castle to be con- 
sulted concerning a new dress for Princess Bea- 
trice. Of course, I went, and on my arrival found 
that the late Duchess of Roxborough, at that time 
Mistress of the Robes, had spoken of me to Prin- 
cess Beatrice. Imagine my surprise when I was 
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

informed that I was to make a purple velvet toi- 
lette for the young princess. Velvet, for one so 
young! It seemed very peculiar to me; however, 
I had to obey the royal command. 

On my arrival at Windsor Castle, I was ushered 
into the royal boudoir. I particularly remember 
that, prominently displayed in the room, was a por- 
trait of the late Prince Imperial, surrounded with 
great bunches of violets. Perhaps if he had lived 
an entente cordiale might have existed in the long 



It was during this first visit to Windsor Castle 
that I was initiated into the strict etiquette of the 
royal household. It was of course necessary for 
me, in my capacity as dressmaker, to stand side by 
side with Princess Beatrice. During my entire 
visit, however, Her Royal Highness never ad- 
dressed me directly; she spoke to me, but in the 
third person. Her personal dresser was present, 
by name Morgan. 

The princess would say to her dresser, for in- 
stance : 

"Morgan, I should like you, please, to tell Ma- 
dame Frederic that I want my jacket and skirt very 
ample." 

My reply, of course, was made to Miss Morgan, 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

but addressed to the princess. This, I believe, is 
the formal way of addressing exalted persons of 
royalty, even if they speak to you directly. 

The purple velvet gown was made, trimmed 
with some glorious Russian sable, and successfully 
worn by Her Royal Highness. Princess Beatrice 
was at this time rather good looking. She was 
of the buxom type of beauty, to be sure, but she had 
a very charming smile, quantities of ash-blonde 
hair, good teeth, and a rather distingue air. She 
walked very gracefully. Her marriage to the late 
Prince Battenberg was, of course, an absolute love- 
match, and his early death upon foreign shores 
marred her happiness. She lost one of her favourite 
sons at the beginning of the war. Her daughter, 
however, is the Queen of Spain, and her grand- 
children are much solace to her. 

At the time I visited Windsor, Princess Beatrice 
had not yet married, for in her heart there was still 
the image of that importunate Prince Napoleon 
(Lulu) , whose untimely death in Zululand was still 
fresh in the memory of all who had known him and 
loved him. Princess Beatrice never entirely lost 
the tender regard for this real romance of her life. 
It was always violets, the emblem of the Napoleonic 
family, which adorned her boudoir. And yet, the 
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

closest ties of Princess Beatrice were naturally 
German. 

Her daughter, the Queen of Spain, is German 
on her father's side. Alphonso, the King of Spain, 
is Austrian on his mother's side. In fact, there is 
not a single royal family in Europe that has not the 
blood of Germany somewhere in their veins. A 
glance at this relationship is worth while. 

For instance, the Czarina of Russia was a Prin- 
cess of Hesse Darmstadt. The Queen of Belgium 
is the daughter of a Bavarian prince. The King 
of Roumania is a direct descendant of the Hohen- 
zollerns. The Queen of Roumania is the grand- 
daughter of the late Queen Victoria. The Queen 
of Greece is the daughter of Kaiser Friedrich, an- 
other granddaughter of Queen Victoria, whose 
mother was the late Duchess of Connaught, daugh- 
ter of the Red Prince Friedrich Carl of Prussia. 
The Queen of Holland is the daughter of the 
Duchess of Wied, her husband is the Grand Duke 
of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 

The royal servants of Windsor Castle during the 
latter part of Queen Victoria's reign were nearly 
all Germans. Her personal maid, who was with her 
for nearly forty years, came from a little hamlet 
in the Black Forest. Of course, there were a few 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Scotch servants who surrounded Her Majesty. 
The tradespeople of the neighbourhood used to de- 
light to go to Windsor Castle because they were 
always royally treated. Carriages were sent to 
meet them at the station, and luncheon was served 
to them by powdered footmen. 

Eating and drinking had always been one of the 
national amusements of Great Britain, and there- 
fore I was not surprised to find at Windsor Cas- 
tle the most valuable gold table service in the world. 
It was valued at one million pounds sterling, and is 
a historical and stupendous work of the goldsmith's 
art. It consists of huge gold salvers, upon which 
were dozens and dozens of gold platters, and in- 
cludes great gold drinking cups, gold soup tureens, 
gold dishes for roasts, and two enormous dishes 
big enough to carry the famous English boar's 
head. It was a barbaric memento of Great Brit- 
ain's devotion to the feast. I shall never forget 
the gorgeousness of that million pound gold service, 
designed and preserved for kings only. 

The whole royal household was brought up like a 
large well-conducted family, and Queen Victoria, 
as the integral part of a great nation's honour, was 
faithful to her trust, to the traditions of her an- 
cestry. 

—88— 




LADY WINIFRED RENSHAW 

Lady Winifred Renshaw, gifted, tall, very haughty and very commanding, 
elder daughter of the Countess of Seitnm, commissioned the author to make 
her trousseau. 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

The latter part of Queen Victoria's reign was 
spent almost entirely apart from her official obli- 
gations. She was very fond of San Remo in Italy. 
She loved the Mediterranean, and spent part of 
every year there. She became enamoured with 
Cimez. Her daily plans of life were always beau- 
tifully arranged. She was evidently a woman of 
deep and sweet attachment. When first married, 
her love for the Prince Consort was always quite 
obvious. There was a yearning for his affection, 
which is a sentiment wholly outside the instinct of 
passion, and I believe in after years that the mem- 
ory of this tenderness often thrilled her heart anew. 

Queen Victoria was a religious woman, not in the 
outward noisy manner of the bigot, but sincerely 
devoted to the High Church of England, and her 
charity toward those who recognised the love in 
their homes that she enjoyed with her husband and 
her children, was proverbial. The greatest bond 
between the Queen and the Prince Consort was 
music. He was devoted to Schumann, and Queen 
Victoria loved the piano. He played very well, 
and it is said that by accident Her Majesty discov- 
ered this, when she found him alone one day, play- 
ing the "Traumerei." The discovery that he pos- 
sessed this talent gave her wonderful pleasure, and 

—89— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

it was then she begged him to play Chopin to her. 

Their love was really ideal. They often walked 
on the narrow edge of the beach, below the rocky 
cliffs near Balmoral Castle. Unseen and unat- 
tended, they would re-discover maritime plants in 
the shallow water. All sorts of things they col- 
lected in this way, and brought them home to show 
the children. It would take a much cleverer pen 
than mine to do justice to this idyl, to the unselfish 
devotion which Queen Victoria gave her husband 
and her family. She found the greatest comfort 
in her role as a ministering angel to those who suf- 
fered. She would personally visit the poor, espe- 
cially the old people in the cottages, and her dig- 
nity and manner, her kindness at heart, and her 
loftiness of purpose simply amazed her people. She 
was greatly blessed for her nursery was completely 
filled, and all her children, from their tenderest 
babyhood, were brought up in a love for the open 
air, and for the influences of nature. 

The Prince of Wales was the most interesting 
child, headstrong, generous, plucky, and at the 
same time extraordinarily tender-hearted. His 
boyish, resolute air and his charming manner made 
him a universal favourite. He was very affectionate 
—90— 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

and sensitive, and he was well trained in bodily ex- 
ercise. 

Those wonderful gatherings in the sheltered gar- 
dens at Windsor Castle, where Queen Victoria 
would sit, surrounded in later years by her grand- 
children! She was especially fond of Princess 
Christian, whose husband, a Schleswig-Holstein, 
lost an eye through an accidental shooting in Wind- 
sor Forest. The two sons of Princess Christian 
are fighting brother against brother. One fights 
for Germany, and the other for England. Prin- 
cess Louise, the wife of the late Duke of Argyle, 
had the most beauty of any of Queen Victoria's 
children. 

I remember once being permitted to peep into 
Her Majesty's studio, or boudoir, at Windsor Cas- 
tle. It was an oval-shaped room, hung with old 
Flemish lace. There was a fine collection of su- 
perb old Chelsea and Dresden china. Pine logs 
were smouldering lazily in an open fireplace, and 
there were natural flowers everywhere. I remem- 
ber distinctly a very old clock that stood solemnly 
in a corner, where it had been placed since it came 
from the Black Forest. On the walls were pic- 
tures by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Turner, Hopner, 
and the adjoining conservatory was filled with 

—91— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

camellias, gardenias, ferns, and orchids. From this 
distance which separates that era of peace and 
splendour in Great Britain to the present atmos- 
phere charged with all the horrors that civilisation 
can endure, one wonders what Queen Victoria 
would say were she to return to the barbaric vision 
of the world as it is to-day. 

Above all things, Her Majesty Queen Victoria 
loved poetry, and the satirical Heine was a great 
favourite of hers. I heard through a very intimate 
friend that her favourite poem was Heine's "The 
Two Grenadiers." She helped the unfortunate 
unconditionally, and personally consoled them just 
as she did her own family. It was her custom often 
to go unaccompanied, perhaps with only one ser- 
vant, into the squalid cottages of Scotland. She 
usually chose the sunset hour for these trips, carry- 
ing flowers and fruit to those who were sick. She 
always found some encouraging, cheering words of 
hope and sympathy, unrestricted by any religious 
exaggeration of preaching. 

On one occasion the Queen came upon a rough 
Scotch miner, dragging a woman by the hair, and 
kicking her vigorously with his hob-nailed boots. 
Unmindful of herself, she started beating the man 
with her umbrella with such vigour, in the face, that 
—92— 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

in his amazement he stopped, and stared at Her 
Majesty. The woman resented her interference, 
and demanded why she did so. The Queen an- 
swered by giving them a couple of sovereigns. 

"Beat her, my friend, beat her all she wants, she 
certainly deserves it for being so loyal to you," said 
Her Majesty. 

The land which Her Majesty enjoyed above all 
was the Riviera. Summer and winter the Riviera 
is a world of flowers. The climate is so mild that 
there are wild stalks blooming in the crevices of 
those old walls. Upon all the windowsills of those 
crazy little houses one sees all year round pots of 
basilica, geranium and fuchsias. The fields are 
abloom with almond-scented white sasrazin and 
crimson clover. I can almost smell the heath of 
purple and brown, now. Those were the days of 
chivalry, when there was a charm indescribably sin- 
cere. How tasteless and tame seems this twentieth 
century of ours, compared to it. 

The great climax of Queen Victoria's reign was 
the war in South Africa, it was her death knell. 

She was very fond of going about incognito, and 
on one occasion, while staying at Scarborough, a 
Yorkshire seaside resort, she met some very charm- 
ing people who did not know she was a Queen. 

—93— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

While standing on the beach, a sailor came up to 
her and her party. 

"Will you have a row, ma'am, only six pence an 
hour?" he said. 

"Why, of course we will," said Her Majesty, 
and they all embarked in a little rowboat. Being 
a Tar of the old fashioned kind, of course, he took 
this opportunity to "spin a yarn," and this was it: 

"Ladies, did yer notice that little old house on 
the beach?" he asked, and when Her Majesty said 
yes, he told the following story: 

"It was to that wery house that a strange woman 
went once to see the owner, who was a poor, bed- 
ridden old man. 

" 'Are you Tom Smith?' she asked. 

" 'Yes,' he said. 

" 'Then get up and try to follow me. I bring 
you from the far East a box, filled with treasures, 
with gold, with all the jewels that the crown ever 
held, and the whole top of the box is filled with the 
sovereigns of our dear, precious little Queen Vic- 
toria." 

He paused, so that the wonder of the story could 
sink in, then he said rather roughly : 

"I wish I could meet the lassie, I would ha' gi'n 
her a real smack in the mouth." 
—94— 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S RECOLLECTIONS 

The Queen raised her hand very gently, and said 
to him: "Will this hand do, for I am Queen Vic- 
toria?" 

She was a Queen of grace, of soulful considera- 
tion and kindness. Pageantry, pomp and cere- 
mony she did not like, and when she consented to 
wear all the insignia of her lofty rank, her presence 
was not improved by the priceless display of jewels, 
for the precious stones themselves seemed to gather 
their magnificence and their loveliness from being 
in contact with her. 

Her political ideas were extremely broad. She 
used to say that every one believed a republican 
form of government was the best. 

I remember seeing Her Majesty at one very im- 
portant Court function, when she was wearing one 
of the most beautiful Court dresses I ever saw. It 
was of light blue moire with an entire overdress of 
spun gold tulle, held from the shoulders by clus- 
ters of real roses. Her head-dress was a sort of 
coronet of pink pearls, sapphires and diamonds. 
She wore a fan-shaped bodice. The endless, fan- 
shaped train and bodice of this period were of the 
softest, shimmering tulle, embroidered with pearl- 
hearted Parma violets. She wore a mantle of the 
finest gauze, powdered with jet. Around her 

—95— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

shapely neck hung row after row of softly gleaming 
black pearls and black diamonds interspersed with 
brilliants. In her hand she carried a marabout fan, 
adorned with her crown in diamonds. 

On this occasion Her Majesty was in a very 
amiable mood, smiling and conversing graciously 
with every one. She looked so youthful that her 
contemporaries could easily have been taken for 
her seniors by many years. After the usual Court 
presentations were over, tea was served in a large 
supper room for Their Majesties and their immedi- 
ate followers, while other guests took supper in ad- 
joining drawing-rooms. By midnight all was over. 
Her Majesty did not like late hours, that is why her 
wonderful complexion never required any cos- 
metics. 

Cold water in her tub before retiring, a glass of 
hot milk, were the preliminaries of Her Royal 
sleep. She was a very early riser, and as soon as 
she awoke she had a cup of tea, a few slices of but- 
tered toast, and some fruit. Her life was simple, 
unostentatious, beautiful. 



-96— 



CHAPTER III 

ROYAL GAMBLERS AND THEIR AMOURS 

The clatter of gold, the sparkle of jewels, and 
woman, create those extraordinary places of pic- 
turesque but violent elements of human nature 
called gambling centres. There were two famous 
ones in Europe in my youth, one was in Homburg, 
conducted by the celebrated Monsieur Blanc, the 
other was in Monte Carlo. 

The time when Homburg was at its best was in 
the autumn, but it was in the summer of 1867 that 
I with all the world went to that picturesque place, 
Taunus, where were united the social and scanda- 
lous men and women of Europe. The gambling 
salons here, which were run by M. Blanc, were 
magnificently decorated. He spent a fortune cre- 
ating an impression in these rooms that you had 
entered a feudal castle of a former period. A won- 
derful collection of famous old masters covered the 
walls. 

No better symbol of the ruling passion could 

—97— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

have been conceived than that complete facade of 
full length mirrors which greeted you at the en- 
trance to these rooms. You could see yourself 
there in your full glory, and others could see you, 
so that you could be bewitchingly and enthusiasti- 
cally admired. And yet one could hardly get close 
enough to these mirrors to have one's own reflection 
complete, they were so arranged. M. Blanc, as I 
remember him, was a little round-faced French- 
man, with a pointed beard. He was an educated 
man, a widower, whose two daughters married 
brilliantly, and whose granddaughter married the 
son of the King of Greece. He was rather fond 
of the ladies, and frequently when he saw them 
lose he would offer them his cheque, whispering to 
them, "Continue, continue." 

Of course, one entered these rooms with a cer- 
tainty of feeling that you would leave them pos- 
sessing the treasures of Golconda. 

The gaming tables opened at 11 A. M., and were 
always covered with gold louis. The struggle in 
the crowd was to procure a seat as near as possible 
to the head croupier. The gold itself was brought 
up in huge bags from the vaults. These bags were 
guarded by two or three employees of the bank, who 
carefully watched their discharge upon the table, 
—98— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

where the gold and bank notes were deposited. The 
game itself was roulette. Each croupier had a small 
shovel before him, with which to handle the gold 
and the notes. Every two hours these men were 
relieved from duty. The head croupier sat upon a 
chair, considerably elevated from the rest, keeping 
a sharp eye upon any errors in payment, whether 
too little or too much, to the players. The lowest 
sum one could risk at the roulette was five francs. 
The two men who were internationally notorious 
as celebrated gamblers in the sixties were Prince 
Paul DemidorT and Garcia. The latter broke the 
bank of Monte Carlo once, and at Homburg and 
Wiesbaden twice. There was always a crowd sur- 
rounding these men, a curious mob, seeking to fol- 
low their luck. The conditions and surroundings 
of these places were indescribably feverish and un- 
reasonable. While all conditions of society could 
be found at these places, there was a predominance 
of those types that belonged to Babylon of old. 
The entrances were thronged, and many of the 
beautiful women were not irreproachable. Love 
was in the air, and these radiant charmers were 
royally paid by the managers of M. Blanc to at- 
tract, to ensnare men to become mad, which is never 
a very difficult thing to do. I recall some of these 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

women, those who represented predominant types. 
There was Baruchi, whose type of beauty com- 
pletely overpowered the heir to the throne of Hol- 
land. He was called Prince Citron, and himself 
was a famous lady-killer, a distinguished rake of his 
time. He spent millions where others spent pen- 
nies. His sumptuous apartments in Paris were 
famous as representing the last word in extrava- 
gance. It is said that he presented Baruchi with 
a string of pearls which must have cost over half 
a million dollars. Her bosom friend Soubise was 
the opposite type of beauty from Baruchi, who was 
dark, luxuriously oriental. Soubise was blonde, and 
therefore the contrast of their individual and su- 
preme beauty made them intimate friends. I re- 
member an incident, which illustrates the power of 
beauty at the gaming tables. Madame Soubise had 
been playing for some time, and having lost every 
penny she possessed, was about to leave, when a 
certain prince of the old aristocracy of France 
turned to the croupier and said, "Madame is good 
for twenty-five thousand francs, please go on." I 
especially remember her purse, which was a tri- 
umph of the goldsmith's art. It was a huge gold 
shell, deeply set with Brazilian diamonds of the 
purest colour. On one side was the coat of arms 
—100— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

of emeralds and topaz. The purse hung on a chain 
attached to her girdle, which, according to the 
fashion of the time, was made of Persian turquoise 
and Siberian rubies. The girdle and the purse were 
valued by a famous jeweller in Paris at seven hun- 
dred thousand francs. She always dressed magnifi- 
cently, creating a slender silhouette, with her long, 
trailing skirts gracefully draped about her. She 
was a singularly graceful creature with dreamy 
green eyes. She looked like one of those pictures 
painted by Marckhardt. She reigned supreme in 
her world, and her entertainments were attend- 
ed by all the great aristocrats of the period. 
Her hotel was very wonderful and was beauti- 
fully decorated. She was a woman of fine taste, 
and her home was one of the show places in 
Paris. It is interesting to get a glimpse of the 
setting in which this feminine jewel lived for so 
long. 

Her bedroom represented an Indian temple of 
Buddha. There were no chairs visible. The room 
was furnished with wonderful Kurdistan and 
Smyrna carpets. Her parquet floor was cov- 
ered with Indian shawls. Her tapestries were 
Gobelins and Beauvais. Appropriately or not, 
they represented biblical scenes, such touching 

—101— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

episodes as Joseph being sold by his brethren, 
Moses in the Bulrushes, the drowning of 
the Egyptians and many fine reproductions of 
Hogarth. 

Her boudoir was in turquoise velvet, the hangings 
of Pointe de Flanders,, attached with huge cords and 
tassels, festooning the draperies, which hung in 
folds to the bottom of the floor. The floor itself 
was inlaid with arabesque of Malachite mosaics. 
The door knobs were of sterling silver. When her 
bric-a-brac was sold, it brought over five million 
francs. 

She was very charitable but she treated her ad- 
mirers with very little consideration. Mammon 
really meant nothing to her, for she ignored the 
wonderful men who had showered countless jewels 
upon her when she met a penniless young man who 
was a croupier at Homburg, with whom she eloped. 

The dominating figures of these gambling rooms, 
however, were Paul Demidoff and the great gam- 
bler Garcia. They were the Neros of the Goddess 
of Fortune. They did not fiddle, but they whis- 
tled, and all that was corrupt in society was held 
spellbound. They threw showers of gold and notes 
at the women they admired, who fluttered around 
them, like moths in the glare. The hilarity of the 
—102— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

life during the gambling season was sustained by- 
Count Caroli and Prince Esterhazy. 

The atmosphere of the salons de jeu was over- 
perfumed perhaps, but it was a hot-house of arti- 
ficial flowers in human form, brilliantly illuminated 
by the huge crystal chandeliers of the period of 
Louis XV. It was a crowd gone mad with de- 
sire for gold at any price, and the study of their 
faces in the midst of these miserable ambitions was 
often ghastly. I think it is generally known that 
the Russians are the most regardless and extrava- 
gant gamblers, and so these gaming tables were 
usually surrounded by grand dukes and their beau- 
tiful followers. 

I remember particularly a striking figure, the 
Princess Yourowska. She was always attended by 
her footman in gorgeous livery, who stood behind 
her jauteuil, holding a case of Louis d'ors. She 
would frequently reach behind her, without looking, 
into this case, and place her bets. She dipped so 
frequently into this gold, that the case was some- 
times quickly emptied. She was a good loser, and 
M. Blanc a big winner. She was not the only 
woman tempted solely by the thrills of inexhaustible 
chance, there was always that beautiful Russian, 
the Princess Souvaroff, who, with her commanding 

—103— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

figure, all could see was an enthusiastic gambler. 
Like all the Russians and the Poles, they loved to 
gamble. It was really an inspiring sight, to see the 
absolute calm with which the Grand Dukes Alexis 
and Nicholas would take their places behind the 
table, stake the maximum, walk away, and when 
the croupiers, in their soulless, nasal voices, lazily 
pronounced the fate of others in the usual phrase, 
"Rien ne va plus," their Imperial Highnesses would 
leisurely either pick up their games, or withdraw 
calmly to begin again. 

There were many famous women, of course, who 
perhaps were better gamblers than the men, be- 
cause, while they but lighted the fires to consume 
others, they were themselves of the asbestos quality. 
It seems to me that this particular type of woman 
has rather disappeared from the world of to-day, 
and therefore we can look upon her at this distance, 
with the analytical audacity of curious observers. 
There comes to my mind a woman who excessively 
and completely represents the type — Cora Pearl. 
As to beauty, as to the arts of love, as to her knowl- 
edge which contact with the world in its most com- 
plex relations had given her, she was supreme. Her 
worldliness made her a prime favourite. In her 
men saw all their longings, she depicted the com- 
—104— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

plete living identity of the woman of their dreams. 
Every man has some such woman, but he rarely 
meets her. She was a woman who took extreme 
pains to study the art of deception. It is said she 
would stand before the mirror, practising fond 
glances, developing the magic of her eyes. 

For the heroes of her amours she had no sym- 
pathy, but she would pretend to listen to them, with- 
out a tremor in her heart. Some people called her 
beauty diabolical, if there is such a thing. I do not 
believe that beauty of any sort can, in its original 
birthright, have anything but a divine purpose, 
though it is often diabolically managed. 

Cora Pearl was accused of being a supremely 
gifted actress of heroine's parts, off the stage. Un- 
questionably her beauty was of the kind that lifts 
men's souls above all tenderness. I recall almost 
verbatim a confession she made to me once, and 
I quote it here because it is a rare document of hu- 
man heartlessness. She had the strength of the 
weak, which in women is a fascinating study in 
morals. 

When Armand Duval, the son of the famous res- 
taurateur, being rejected by Cora Pearl, shot him- 
self one night in front of her door, she made this 
extraordinary exclamation : 

—105— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

"I do not know what it is to be anything but a 
courtesan, people may call me what they like. I 
follow my own inclinations, I take my own road. I 
was born to take what I can get. There have been 
some agreeable things in my life, such as spend- 
ing a fortune in two years. I always knew, of 
course, that I was irresistible, — I knew that I was 
a vampire. I knew that I adored the golden calf, 
and it mattered little to me who worshipped me, or 
where, so long as I could shine. My greatest treas- 
ure was my marble skin, which I kept like ivory. 
I knew that the man I favoured took much pride 
in his imaginary success. He became a Paragon in 
the club." 

She was a modern Cleopatra, her idea of life be- 
ing that she would have accomplished her destiny 
when she had perpetuated the name of one of the 
most noble courtesans. 

She had a particular weakness for princes, and 
usually talked marriage. Of course, she only pre- 
tended, everything she did was sham, she had no 
desire for any sincerity, but she was desirous of be- 
coming a princess of the House of Orange. She 
preferred, of course, princes who were bachelors or 
widowers, and she pursued also married nobles who 
were in a fair way to become widowers. Many of 
—106— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

the men she selected were strangers whom she had 
never seen, and among them several who had never 
thought of her, and who never did think of her. 
Part of her creed in the religion of love was that 
she should never be adored by a man below the rank 
of prince. That is why, perhaps, she survived the 
tragedy of Armand Duval's suicide, that was the 
reason for her disdainful rejection of his love. She 
accepted the idea of love in the abstract, repudiat- 
ing the idea of true love, because she was logical to 
her destiny. She was strong-minded, and fully 
realized the danger of permitting her heart to inter- 
fere. Her portrait hangs in a celebrated gallery, 
where spectators of all kinds, including the clergy, 
collect and meditate, and linger, to admire. The 
strong will of a beautiful woman can defeat un- 
natural influences, and knowing this, she made no 
hypocritical attempt to hide her character. 

She died in abject misery, asking alms of those 
men whom she had spurned in her early days. She 
grew tired of grovelling like a worm in the world 
of pleasure where she had reigned, where her for- 
mer lovers had forgotten her, and the choir boys 
gathered around her humble grave and sang, "Rest 
in Peace." 

One of the favourite bon mots of this period in 

—107— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

the seventies, among these people of the gambling 
instinct, which interprets the license of the time, is 
worth quoting. It was this : 

"Our Emperor Napoleon stuffs his ears with cot- 
ton." 

All women who had been beloved by Napoleon 
III knew that they would be well treated in after 
years. There were, of course, occasional quarrels 
between the beautiful rivals for imperial favour. I 
remember an incident illustrating this between the 
famous Mrs. R. and Madame Soubise. They were 
both devout Catholics. One day they met at the 
Madeleine, both were suffering from a cold, both 
entered a pew together, and both were sneezing. A 
feud that had lasted for a long while, was patched 
up, when one of the ladies handed the other a little 
pot of cream and rosewater to rub on her nose. 

Money came so fast and so easily in those colossal 
salons in Homburg, Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden, 
Monte Carlo, it was absolutely thrown away. There 
were magnificent dinner parties cooked especially 
for these royal gamblers that surpassed anything to 
be found in the world. 

And yet, were they happy? 

I often wondered when I saw Paul Demidoff 
with a petite blonde, Countess de G., what tradition 
— 108— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

could bring these two opposite beings together. 
There was so much dross that glittered, so many 
parasites living in the rich soil. It was Paul Demi- 
doff who, for the Countess de G., gave that cele- 
brated masquerade which cost the fabulous sum of 
three million roubles. The entire suite of salons 
were hung in royal blue velour d'Utrecht with huge 
cordelieres in silver, and the frieze entirely covered 
with superb Burano lace. The entire scene was 
lighted with millions of wax candles, shedding a 
wonderful lustre. It required a separate staff of 
footmen in gorgeous livery, merely to snuff the can- 
dles, to prevent the grease from dropping on the 
polished parquet floor. The effect of the dancers, 
whirling slowly to the strains of Offenbach's de- 
lightful music, was like a symbolic scene from the 
underworld, the soft candle lights casting weird 
shadows. 

There was a Grand Duchess, dressed as Sappho, 
dancing a gavotte with an Austrian Grand Duke, 
dressed as an Incroyable. Baruchi and her type 
came to the ball frankly as courtesans of the First 
Empire, deftly leaving little to the imagination, 
wearing sandals, pale rose tights, diamonds and 
coral anklets, bracelets with gold and turquoise 
chains, attached to their little fingers, as a Scara- 

—109— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

mouche. It was all like a dream, only the figures 
were alive. 

Among the cavaliers one saw at these midnight- 
till-sunrise feasts was the handsome Duke Alva- 
rez de Toledo, who turned the heads of so many 
women, his cousin the Marquis de Gandara, and the 
Duke of Montegano, representing the fine flower 
of the court of the Queen Isabel of Spain, who, by 
the way, was a lady who counted her lovers in 
legions. One saw also General Pirn, who was her 
constant companion. Her quiet little husband, 
Francis D 'Assise, was only an onlooker. She was 
a woman of tremendous size, very jovial, debonair, 
a "real good sport." None of her children were 
ever quite so popular. Her handsome grenadiers 
always stood at attention when this grand Queen 
inspected her troops, and if history speaks the 
truth, many of these stalwart soldiers owed their 
promotion to her. 

One cannot but think, while touching the royalty 
of Spain in retrospect, of that beautiful woman, the 
Infanta Eulali, a lover of music and books. She is 
still a very charming woman, a great friend of the 
Duchess de Richelieu, formerly the princess of Mo- 
naco. It was the latter who made Isidore de Lara, 
the musician, celebrated. 
—110— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

These ladies, however, did not quite belong to the 
era of triumph in the days of Napoleon III. They 
were the comets only of the end of the Second Em- 
pire. They often came to England, where I saw 
them. 

What delightful days of luxury those were in the 
sixties, when one disappeared from the domestic 
monotony for little pilgrimages to the gambling 
salons and the races in Baden-Baden. Every one 
flocked to this charming watering-place in the Black 
Forest. 

No one will forget that wonderful little rendez- 
vous called Stephaniebad, where the most illustri- 
ous, and notorious, people foregathered for break- 
fast. It was an Elysium tucked away in the pines. 
The exquisite aroma of those pines! Those little 
river trout, fresh caught, served on those silver 
dishes, invitingly curled up! The delicious coffee 
and cream! Indeed you were glad to be alive, and 
those beautiful women, feasting in the morning sun 
upon their eager prey, whom they confused that 
they might destroy. They were the decoys of the 
gambling rooms of Maison Blanc. 

I can still see the faces of the gamblers gathered 
around the gaming table. Faces that were human 
masques of great fortune, or great despair. Their 

—111— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

bodies immobile, they stood like statues. I still 
hear those delightful little screams of joy from the 
women as they swooped down upon their winnings 
from the tables. I also hear their little sighs of de- 
spair, hideous little gasps of absolute ruin. Some- 
times the ruin came in different forms. 

I was present when Madame Adelina Patti, then 
the Marquise de Caux, when dining, one evening 
on the terrace, near the gaming tables, was startled 
by her maid, Caroline, who came rushing to her 
very excitedly to say that somebody had ransacked 
her rooms and escaped with all her jewels. She 
never recovered them, and they represented a huge 
fortune. Later, she became a bit tired of her vola- 
tile husband, who, being aide-de-camp of Napoleon 
III, waved his handkerchief so often at the ladies 
that Patti finally separated from him peacefully. 
Her second husband, Nicolini, who was certainly 
more like a hair-dresser than anything else, was al- 
ready married and had several children, when her 
romance began. She made him divorce his Italian 
wife, leave his children, and paid his wife a large 
indemnity. She gave employment to his daugh- 
ters, or at least educated them. Nicolini died, and 
Adelina Patti's widowhood became involved in a 
third matrimonial enterprise, with Baron Cedar- 
—112— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

strom, who came from a very aristocratic Swedish 
family with no money. They married, I believe 
very happily, notwithstanding that he was thirty 
years younger than herself. 

Perhaps the most inveterate gambler of the sa- 
lons was the Countess Kisleff, who with her son 
almost built the little city of Homburg which they 
ultimately lost. Homburg repaid them by naming 
a street, Kisleff Strasse. I can see the old lady 
now in her ample white wig profusely ornamented 
with artificial flowers. On the hottest day she wore 
a heavy black mantilla of velvet, and her dress, also 
a black velvet, had a sweeping train which fell in 
gorgeous folds behind her. Her esclavage, a huge 
necklace peculiar to that period, which was wound 
many times about the neck and hung far down on 
the body, was of such enormous precious stones that 
the countess attracted the attention of the multi- 
tude, through which she passed on entering the 
gaming salon, for she was eccentric to a degree. 

Her servants were always with her, and she was 
carried in a sedan chair of the Louis IV period to 
the gaming salons. She lived in them, entering 
them at eleven A. M. and never leaving them till 
eleven P. M. Her luncheon was brought in to her 
on a silver tray. After luncheon she would take her 

—113— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

money rake and begin afresh with all her cards be- 
side her, and all the tricks of her system to break 
the bank at work. Her system usually failed, but 
she occasionally made a great deal of money. Judg- 
ing by the amount of money she lost, her fortune 
must have been superior to Rothschild's. Her son 
inherited a colossal fortune, which permitted him 
to live where he liked and how he liked. Naturally 
he was very popular with the stage beauties, par- 
ticularly with a French dancer of the type which 
was then so much admired in the world-famous 
"Black Crook." The peculiarity of this type was 
that all the ladies of the ballet wore black tights 
and red shoes. 

I recall the trio of graceful dancers, Madame 
Brunette, Finette, and Bouhelier, who were the 
attraction of the Little Theatre in Homburg. Then 
there was the famous Fidelaire, who danced so 
gracefully on a thin wire rope. The code of that 
period was to enjoy life at any cost, our code is to 
take the best and leave the dregs. 

It was at Compiegne where, when the hunting 
season began, one saw the most wealth and nobil- 
ity of the old regime. Here one saw the Countess 
of M., the Countess de G., the Princess S., the Mar- 
quise L., the Duchess de M. A romance of this 
—114— 



ROYAL GAMBLERS— THEIR AMOURS 

time was that of the Duke D'Aumale waiting for 
his beloved Blanche D'Antinguee, that glorious 
creature with the lovely ash-blonde hair and a fig- 
ure like a Juno, who was such a favourite in that 
play, "The Craven Eye." He gave her the most 
beautiful hotel in the Avenue Bois de Boulogne. 
It was she who was afterwards immortalised by 
Emil Zola in his book called "Nana." 



—115- 



CHAPTER IV 

COURT SOCIETY AROUND THE PRINCE OF WALES 

No one can read this story of the society that sur- 
rounded royalty in England, during the regime, 
without feeling that it is pre-eminently a history of 
mixed hypocrisy and convincing scandal. The 
story of the Court of St. James, from that period 
when the Prince of Wales was perhaps twenty, and 
whose first guide into the world of romance was 
one of the most brilliant and beautiful women of 

the Court, the Duchess of M ; to that period 

of mature diplomacy which has placed him in the 
record of international affairs as the greatest of 
royal diplomats, there is a ceaseless list of beautiful 
women and wonderful amours. It is my intention 
to take individually and separately each one of 
those favourite Court beauties who influenced the 
career of Edward VII. This is to be a chronicle, 
chiefly, of the brilliant trail along which royalty 
and its contemporaries have travelled downward. 
It is a chronicle told entirely from my personal 
—116— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

knowledge and experience of Court life, and may 
therefore contain unknown and untold incidents 
that gossip and rumour have more or less distorted. 
In later chapters the psychology of love, as it in- 
fluenced the Court of Great Britain, will be de- 
veloped objectively. It is my purpose only, in these 
opening pages, therefore, to prepare the way. 

One must put aside the most important tradi- 
tions of convention, one must look upon the heart 
stories of these beautiful women comprehendingly, 
with a sympathy, with a broad idea that the morals 
of love must not be stupefied by convention. Re- 
membering, that in the reign of Edward VII so- 
ciety plunged from the heights of the sublime to the 
verge of the ridiculous, we must reluctantly assume 
that the strong and simple character of Queen Vic- 
toria was not sustained by the heir apparent to the 
throne. Unquestionably he was sorely tempted. 
Quite early in his royal career, the prince estab- 
lished such blundering relationships with the beau- 
ties of the Court of St. James, that only his ex- 
treme good humour and personal tact saved him 
from open scandal. There was no special reserve 
of attitude, no sacred circle drawn around his royal 
presence. He was the subject of much gossip at 
the London clubs, where men irreverently asked 

—117— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

each other, "Who is the prince's latest mash?" 
I gathered something of the splendour of His 
Royal Highness's tastes in love, from the gowns I 
designed for these Court beauties. Like other men, 
His Royal Highness was lured by the dazzle of 
laces and satins. They were decidedly enticing, 
these lovely women, when I had finished with them. 
In the interval, during which they went through the 
processes of my fitting room, they confided to me 
the secrets of their vanities, their ambitions, and — 
some of them, of their hearts. I made many of 
their dresses, and some startling negligees. One 
really could not blame any man, not even the 
Prince of Wales, for submitting to their enticing 
beauty. 

It was not only the affairs in which His Royal 
Highness was concerned that established the char- 
acter, may I say the dissipation of the Court of St. 
James. When, at the age of twenty, His Royal 
Highness found himself the leader of the highest 
social circles of England, there had been scandals, 
and there had been love stories that should have 
shocked him, had he inherited the strict qualities of 
his adorable mother, Queen Victoria. 

In the early eighties, for instance, one of the most 
charming women was the Dowager Countess 
—118— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

C , who found relief from prosaic surroundings 



in a romance with the Duke of B , then the 

Earl of W. It was a romance that lasted for many 
years, and perhaps would have been undisturbed 
until now, except for the appearance on the horizon 

of a Madame de T , who openly rivalled the 

exquisite Countess. The result of this situation 
was much anonymous and libellous correspond- 
ence which produced almost a law suit that would 
have steeped London society deep in the mire. 
It was a most unsavoury condition, and was 
widely talked about in London society. The Dow- 
ager Countess C.'s husband was divorced several 
times. His son went on the stage after marrying 
a chorus girl. The most extraordinary part of this 
relation is the fact that it was generally accepted, 
and sustained among their friends. They were 
usually invited together by hostesses of brilliant po- 
sition, and their intimacy was not disturbed or criti- 
cised. In fact, it was generally understood that the 
Dowager Countess C. would eventually marry her 
aristocratic affinity on the death of her husband. 
When the Duke of B. transplanted his affections, 
it was a great blow to her. The Duke, however, 
married her rival, and has been singularly happy 
and devoted to his family. The Dowager Countess 

—119— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

C. retired into absolute seclusion. It was a mys- 
terious fact in the history of these romances of 
Court life, that the heart-broken took their punish- 
ment with singular courage. Doubtless, there is a 
great reserve force in the pride which lies in the 
blood of the aristocrat. The Dowager Countess, in 
after years, only referred to her devotion to the 
Duke of B. with a certain peculiar pride in the fact 
that she had never been ruled by conventions of the 
world. Her daughter married well, but inherited 
the flirtatious qualities of her mother. She became 
the second wife of Lord W., because his first wife, 
Lady Lilian W., was involved in a love affair with 
the Marquis of S., whose adventures were notori- 
ous. 

In these chronicles of Court romance, Lady Lil- 
ian W. ranks among the daring and regardless 
beauties. She was of statuesque figure, had beau- 
tiful Titian hair, and her extreme tastes and ex- 
travagance in dress became practically an asset for 
the luxurious but questionable marquis. He was an 
attache in one of the Courts of Europe. Because 
of his peculiar complexion he was spoken of in so- 
ciety as "The Blue Monkey." I believe that for 
some inexplicable reason, probably the caprice of 
femininity, he was rather enthusiastically admired. 
—120— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

In the sense of certain acknowledged qualities that 
go to make up the term "thorough gentleman" he 
was accepted everywhere. He was a thoroughbred, 
an intimate of His Royal Highness. They were 
constantly together. Many were the trips up the 
river to Oxford they had together. 

How wonderful all these favoured women were, 
— tall, beautiful figures, lovely heads, faces like ma- 
donnas, hair that intoxicated. One in particular I 
recall, who to-day is in the Red Cross sisterhood, 
whose waist was so marvellously slender that His 
Royal Highness, when waltzing with her, declared 
that he was afraid she would break in half, — but 
of course she didn't. The Prince of Wales seemed 
to have a taste for witty and spirituelle women, in 
his earlier years at least. This particular Court 
beauty was a splendid billiard player. Her week- 
end parties were always attended by officers of the 
crack regiments. 

Among the Court beauties was that extraordi- 
nary freak of British aristocracy, the Marquis of 
Anglesea, who looked, dressed, and aspired to be 
a woman. He was the fashionable female imper- 
sonator of royalty. He gave special performances 
in his private theatre on his estate at Bodaseer in 
Wales. It was his custom to invite all the attrac- 

—121— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

tive chorus girls to these performances, and to re- 
ward them with presents of magnificent diamonds. 
He had a collection of emeralds that were the finest 
in the world. His fearful extravagance eventually- 
brought him into bankruptcy. His peculiar dissi- 
pation was probably inherited, for his father di- 
vorced his first wife, an American, so that he could 
retire from the world with the Countess de G., the 
sister of the notorious Princess S., whose career is 
discussed later on. The Countess de G. was a lit- 
tle woman, very Russian, very barbaric. She lived 
for many years at the historical castle at Bodaseer, 
in Wales. Her daughter's trousseau was the most 
gorgeous ever made, I think. She married the 
Honourable E. Stanhope, son of the Marquis of H. 
His Royal Highness made a special visit to the 
dressmaker, to see this trousseau. 

The Court of St. James may have had the out- 
ward air of lethargy, may have seemed indolent, 
but the early nursery training of royalty had evi- 
dently failed to stifle the intrigues of romance. A 
complete record of the heart burnings at the Court 
of St. James is quite impossible; it would require 
a dictionary to define its moral psychology. One 
recalls, however, a few of the high spots in the 
romantic wilderness of inexplicable love affairs. 
—122— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

For instance, there was the famous Zulu beauty, 
as she was called, the celebrated Mrs. D. S., wife 
of a South- African millionaire. He had untold 
wealth, and when they came to London they were 
warmly received. She may have inherited some- 
thing of the freedom of the South African veldts, 
for she was singularly willing to meet His Royal 
Highness clandestinely. With her bosom friend, 
Mrs. W., they took a house in Kensington, and 
there received His Royal Highness through the 
subterfuge of social receptions. These receptions 
were a little overdone, as the two women were both 
inclined to extremes. The staircase of their house 
was banked with lilies of the valley and violets, 
the boudoir smothered with Bankshire roses, in 
honour of His Royal Highness. A present peer of 
the realm fell in love with her. Her husband nat- 
urally divorced her, but His Royal Highness ob- 
jected to her marriage with the peer, and her ro- 
mance with the latter was a failure. In fact, I 
believe that His Royal Highness found means to 
estrange her from her aristocratic lover, and 
brought about the result of her remarriage to her 
husband. She functions now as a matron in one 
of the big hospitals in London, where she nurses 
the heroes from the trenches. Her only son went 

—123— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

into the Seventh Hussars, and became aide-de- 
camp to one of the British generals. 

It is impossible to escape a sense of wonder as to 
whether the conventions which are supposed to 
protect one's emotions should be adopted, or 
adapted to our hearts. So many of these Court 
beauties of a younger generation are now per- 
forming wonderful and heroic services for the 
wounded. So many of them began with a fever- 
ish disregard of commonplace respectability, and 
are now accepted as teachers and sisters of mercy. 
To the philosopher, it is worth studying, this whirl 
of emotions which brings so many women to a real- 
ization of higher and better things than the vani- 
ties of love. 

As an instance of this thought, there is the won- 
derful devotion and sincere friendship existing be- 
tween the Marchioness of R. and Her Majesty the 
Dowager Queen Alexandra. In her early life the 
marchioness, because of her regardless amours, was 
the laughing-stock of Paris. She was notorious 
among the undesirable women of fashion. A won- 
derful woman, with extraordinary beauty, who 
has emerged from the mire of her emotions to the 
heights of a friendship with the most distinguished 
woman in England. 
—124— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

There was an unwritten law among these hand- 
some women of the Court of St. James, and per- 
haps their beauty and their wit were often miscon- 
strued in the opinion of those men who reason 
badly. However, being Ladies and Gentlemen of 
the Court of St. James, silence among them be- 
came an axiom. It had grown up with them, be- 
come a part of themselves, like a sense of honour. 
Then too, they had to be silent, to avoid being 
talked about, or endure the penalty of being forever 
cast out of the royal circle. Many of the mar- 
riages of these beautiful women and rather idle 
men were failures. 

That charming American girl from Baltimore, 
who married a duke of the realm, learned the un- 
written law of the Court of St. James. There was 
a guardsman who laid down the law to her. She 
was not really to blame, for her husband chose a 
pseudo-duchess, one Belle Bilton, and with her he 
lived his romance apart. She indeed rose supreme. 
Then, there was that charming American actress 
of the musical stage, who even to-day retains her 
beauty and her lovely child-like expression. She 
married, and her memoirs to-day would make in- 
teresting reading for those English aristocrats who 
adored her. Love was in the air! In the Court 

—125— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

of St. James it was perpetual springtime. One 
never knew where one would stumble upon an un- 
expected romance. 

Most of these wonderful women of the Court of 
St. James, at least those who inspired the greatest 
love stories, were not young women. They had 
passed the meridian of life, and I often wondered 
how brilliantly they kept those eminent men who 
were celebrities in the diplomatic and military life 
of England. The Englishman of aristocratic 
tendencies, however, is usually more charmed by 
women of subtlety and wit than by the most radi- 
ant youthfulness. Such women, for instance, as 
Lady Sara Wilson, dominant, independent, brave, 
executive. Her book, which contained the stories 
of her experiences during her imprisonment at 
Mafeking, in South Africa, was widely read. It 
was a many-sided picture of the life among British 
officers out there, and she was very much admired 
for her delicate handling of certain romantic inci- 
dents. She was by no means beautiful, but she 
deserved the glory of her success since she was 
proud, as all the Churchills are. She came of a 
family that had many romantic adventures. In 
fact, the entire atmosphere in which these ladies of 
the Court of St. James lived, might have been en- 
—126— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

tirely contemporary with the Court of Louis XIV. 
One wonders how Queen Victoria, who was so ex- 
ceptionally apart in character from the quality of 
the Court of St. James, did not in some vigorous 
way dispel the vulgarism of English society. There 
was a time when the garden parties at Marlborough 
House were practically dominated by a trio of 
famous beauties who were known as The Three 
Graces. They were Mrs. C. W., Mrs. W., and 
Mrs. L. The success of these social events was 
practically created by the beauty and elegance of 
these women. And yet, men and women in the 
street knew perfectly well their scandalous reputa- 
tions. But then, there was hardly any member of 
the aristocracy at the Court during these times, who 
had not played some questionable character in some 
undesirable romance. 

Surely every one recalls that wonderful case 
where a lady of one of the proudest families of 
Scotland, a sister of one of The Three Graces, was 
called upon to give evidence that her infant was 
the offspring of the future King of England. 
Also it is perhaps not forgotten that she was put 
into an asylum where some people affirm she still 
is. And after all, she only spoke the truth, in 
spite of the fact that the future King of England 

—127— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

had to go upon the witness stand to contradict the 
venomous reports which made the whole of London 
ashamed. 

As in all Courts, it was the custom for the aristo- 
crats of the Court to exert all their strength and 
polish to consolidate the ruling passions of the sov- 
ereign, or the heir apparent. This may explain 
many of the disturbing elements of the English 
Court which have passed into the chronicles of scan- 
dal. The first event in the amours of His Royal 
Highness which stirred society to its depths, was 
his affair with the beautiful English actress. 

As a human document she has become one of the 
most interesting in the entire history of the Court 
of St. James, because perhaps she has survived the 
customary downfall. She preserved her incognito 
fairly well, but when receiving His Royal High- 
ness assumed her new relationship with gusto. So 
as to facilitate the laxity of His Royal Highness' 
domestic ties at Court, many revels had been trans- 
ferred to the houses of his boon companions, where 
this beautiful English actress met him. To be 
sure, she was supplanted by other beautiful women, 
but her reign was as glorious as theirs. She 
amassed a huge fortune, and it is said beggared 
one or two millionaires. Colossal sums passed 
—123— 



COURT SOCIETY— PRINCE OF WALES 

through the hands of these Court beauties of the 
nineteenth century. Of course, a great deal of 
this money went to the jewellers, the dressmakers, 
who must have profited enormously. Doubtless 
she would like to have been able to retain the con- 
stancy of her royal swain, but not, I imagine, be- 
cause she wished to satisfy her heart. 

I wonder if she really possessed one? 

The affair with Sir Robert Peel, the episode con- 
cerning the loss of her diamonds at her beautiful 
house in London, helped to sever their very close 
relationship. I am sure it was an evil day when 
she broke the golden thread. She still retains his 
autographed photos which always adorn her abid- 
ing place, whether it is the Carlton in London or 
the Ritz in New York — for her royal lover became 
a reigning sovereign. Her marriage was decidedly 
one of convenience. Her husband had been her 
friend, and was anxious to marry her but she used 
to tell him, "Stay your tears, postpone them for 
another time." Later he became her husband, and 
they lived together only pro tern., parting quite 
amiably, for both had attained their end, he an in- 
come, and she a fortune. 

The love story of the beautiful countess whose 
sumptuous presence and exquisite personality en- 

—129— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

tirely captured His Royal Highness from the time 
they first met at a Court function is well known. 
In a later chapter I deal more fully with this phase 
of this adorable Court beauty who, when the end of 
her romance came, had to face outrageous calum- 
nies. Some really thought her more sinned against 
than sinning. She was a familiar figure in Hyde 
Park, in Bond Street. Her motor was so original 
that it attracted wide attention. It was entirely 
white outside and in. 



—130- 



CHAPTER V 

THE GALLANTRIES OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS 

During his younger days, His Royal Highness 
undoubtedly kept open house in his heart for the 
ladies. He never entirely closed the door to them 
in after years. To the last he sent them valuable 
presents, as he did in his youth. There is consola- 
tion in the thought (to those of us who are prud- 
ish) that the late King Edward VII clung with 
the greatest affection and respect to his lovely prin- 
cess and Queen. 

It was at a wedding party in one of the minor 
German states that the Prince of Wales proposed 
to the Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Her 
beauty, her character, her remarkable dignity and 
grace have passed into contemporary history with- 
out a challenge. Never have a monarch and his 
consort been so idolised and so loved by the masses, 
the classes and the aristocracy, as King Edward 
VII and Queen Alexandra. Men went mad 
about her beauty, but there has never been a breath 

—131— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

of scandal about her. Her eldest son, the Duke of 
Clarence, bore a striking resemblance to her. Her 
eldest daughter, the Duchess of Fife, like herself, 
married for love, a man twenty years her senior, a 
man who had sowed his wild oats as the friend of 
her father. Of course, rumours of His Majesty's 
love affairs must have reached the ears of the 
Queen. Frequently, no doubt, these rumours were 
exaggerated. I was told that Queen Alexandra ex- 
pressed herself to an inquisitive inquiry concerning 
her royal husband, as follows : — 

"If all that the world says of my liege, the King, 
is only in a small degree true, all I can say is that 
I am very proud to possess such a wonderful per- 
sonality." 

The women of the Court of St. James who fell 
into the turmoil of luxury, under the sway of the 
more plebeian instincts of man, which surrounded 
the royal person of this charming prince, were 
really not in very serious danger because they were 
mostly in the fullness of their maturity, or if 
younger, they had grown old before their time, per- 
haps robbed themselves to give their best to their 
royal prince. There was unquestioned rivalry, 
and the shock when the downfall of a favourite did 
come, was socially overwhelming. 
—132— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

The fate of the beautiful countess who for so 
long had been as the Bridge of Sighs to the prince's 
love affairs, was really in his hands. The affair 
was broken at the desire of the prince, but at that 
time the countess had outgrown her infatuation for 
the man. At the beautiful castle, where she enter- 
tained him, everything was always very quiet and 
in excellent order. Being independently rich, she 
could surround herself with regal luxury. There 
was never any noise or confusion in the manage- 
ment of this castle. To be sure, the prince had 
moments when his royal dignity burst bounds, as 
when he chased a party into the pastry cook's pan- 
try, and pelted them with flour. Royalty some- 
times enjoys a primitive sense of humour, the un- 
dignified quality of such horseplay was shown on 
the blank faces of his royal followers. Then too, 
there were occasional whispers of it in the critical 
press, which is the worst punishment of vulgarism. 

While the countess entertained the royal prince, 
at the time being fully aware that her sway was 
weakened, the new Aspasia, who was not at all a 
woman of the world, reluctantly spent her evenings 
at home. She was exquisitely fair, with blue-green 
eyes, and of course bright red lips. The happiness 
which she expected from her liaison with royalty 

—133— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

died almost at its birth. However, she must be 
remembered in the history of Court scandal as hav- 
ing played the part of a royal mistress in name at 
any rate. She was loyal to her royal admirer, and 
furthermore, she gained the love and respect of 
other ladies of the Court. Even the countess, often 
dismissed by historians with curt etiquette, tried to 
cheer up her existence in after years. She always 
behaved with sad dignity and gentleness in her 
trying position. It is not recorded that the Prince 
of Wales suffered from any shattered ideals. It 
may be assumed that in the midst of his amours 
certain refinements expected of royalty were not 
too scrupulously sustained in his courtships. These 
reflections, of course, are in retrospect, gathered 
from information and impressions received from 
those who were in the heart of things at court dur- 
ing the regime of the late Queen Victoria and the 
young Prince of Wales. 

It was in the summer, when all the world of hu- 
manity tumbled pell-mell from the reserve of win- 
ter, that the prince and his consort withdrew to 
Cowes, a celebrated watering place. It was at 
Cowes that many of the court intrigues were 
stirred. It was here that a certain grand duchess 
of a very cold country fell under the spell of moon- 
—134— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

lit mesmerism. It is recorded that the young 
prince invited the grand duchess one evening for a 
sail on his yacht. She slipped away with him, un- 
attended by any lady-in-waiting, which is a for- 
bidden act of royalty. Forgetful of all restric- 
tions, they wandered away, and it is said she told 
him in an irresponsible moment of feminine thrill- 
dom that she felt her incognito might place her un- 
der suspicion. Finally they reached a place at the 
end of the lawn, where the yacht was supposed to 
be, in the water beyond, and there was no sign of 
it. History says there was a dreadful moment of 
suspense, for she suddenly realised that the grand 
duke, her husband, was probably in search of her, 
and grand dukes of cold countries are very choleric. 
In the midst of this pause, a footman ran breath- 
lessly towards the prince, and reported that the 
yacht had been moored a little further down the 
coast. The grand duchess was soon on deck again. 
The Prince's fidelity towards the fair sex was 
always rather delicate. His affair with a cele- 
brated stage beauty made her notorious in the 
course of her first year at the Court of St. James, 
not him. His tactics were those of the sheathed 
hand. As a man, he was a great patron of art, of 
literature, of industrial enterprises, and he was al- 

—135— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

ways able to promote the fortune of the ladies he 
admired. She, of course, this stage beauty, was 
enamoured of wealth. Relentless in her relations, 
she attained a dominance over the prince and his 
mind that was surprising to lookers-on. Person- 
ally, she was not very much liked, her mental hori- 
zon did not extend beyond her innate consciousness 
of her physical powers. She was unflinching in the 
face of scandal, though not without the capacity 
for tremour. She was not entirely exempt from 
self-deception, knowing well that she often chilled 
the public that went to see her out of curiosity. She 
was never a popular idol, like Nell Gwynn of King 
Charles's times, and she treated her public with a 
shrug of her beautiful shoulders, of which she was 
so proud. These were matters, however, which did 
not disturb His Royal Highness. He never al- 
lowed any bonds which fettered him to be strained 
by this stage beauty. She was a human document, 
written in a cipher which had not been mastered 
and never solved. Sometimes she was very de- 
lightful. They were always on friendly terms, 
even after the break, and sometimes they dined to- 
gether. 

I am only writing those impressions that I have 
gathered of Court life, and drawing conclusions 
—136— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

from the conditions as I find them. Allowances 
can be reasonably made for His Royal Highness, 
whose youthful gallantries in his earlier days were 
not entirely his own fault. How the women pur- 
sued him with their gaze! How they courtesied 
when he went about! They followed him really 
much more than he followed them; he was a man, 
and sorely tempted. His successes were obviously 
unavoidable. Sometimes his amours took a tragic 
trend. 

Fascinated by the appearance of a charming wo- 
man, whom he saw crossing the courtyard of St. 
James's Palace, one day, he sent his valet, an Aus- 
trian, with a secret message, expressing his admira- 
tion. There was nothing ambiguous about it, — it 
was a clear confession of admiration. The lady 
was not prepared to be seized by royal flattery, but 
later indicated a house of rendezvous. The secret 
appointment was kept. This unknown lady, I 
have heard, was particularly effective in the choice 
of the fine linen and her crepe de chine petticoats. 
In discussing her, even her dressing gown, which 
was of the finest batiste and Valenciennes lace, was 
spoken of with wonder and admiration by His 
Royal Highness to a friend. He pleaded for an- 
other interview, for another chance to see her again. 

—137— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Her reply was as sincere a bit of feminine subtlety 
as one might expect. She told him that until she 
became enamoured of a prince she had been a very 
faithful wife to her husband, and that therefore 
one lapse should not be allowed to become a cus- 
tomary favour. She reminded him of her sacrifice 
in keeping the first rendezvous, but His Royal 
Highness insisted. Finally she invited him to visit 
her a second time at the house of her sister in Lon- 
don near Regents Park. The story goes that His 
Highness went to this house at the appointed time, 
and found it brilliantly lighted. He knocked at 
the door but there was no answer. Astonished and 
baffled, he returned to the street where a young 
man brushed against him. 

"I have called to see Madame R.," he said. 

"She is dead!" said the young man. 

It is said that His Royal Highness went to a 
great deal of trouble to get to the bottom of her 
mysterious death, without success. It was ru- 
moured, however, that she was poisoned by her hus- 
band, who had discovered the liaison with the 
prince. 

I presume that often His Royal Highness 
poured out his confessions to his friend, Lord Far- 
quhar, who was his chum, but in later years, in the 
—138— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

newer responsibilities of the throne, His Majesty 
became more orderly, more subdued. During all 
his reign, which was far too short, he was seldom 
in a rage. With the exception of the famous inci- 
dent which relates to the indiscretion of a lady of 
the stage, who dropped a piece of ice down his back 
at a banquet, King Edward never lost his temper. 
I do not believe he ever hated any one. He was 
sometimes a little undecided, but he always deferred 
difficulties to the future. Not that he lacked the 
courage to face the music, but that he was wise. 

Not all the ladies of the court were so graciously 
willing to submit to his royal gallantries. There 
was one charming young aristocratic girl, who, 
fearing the fascination of His Royal pursuit, 
threatened to immure herself in a convent for 
safety. She confessed this desire to her mother, 
and gave her reasons. Her mother said this to 
her: 

"If you were some old woman, who had only a 
few years to live, your desire to enter a convent 
would not be so unusual. But, for a lovely girl 
like yourself, pure and unattached, to enter a con- 
vent so as to flee from a future king, is too ridicu- 
lous. Has his conversation ever caused you any 
scruples, my dear? It's all nonsense. Continue 

—139— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

to live in society, continue to cherish all his kind- 
nesses, and be happy." 

This incident actually confirmed the impression 
that His Royal Highness made upon the ladies of 
his court, or the impressions they made for him. I 
am inclined to think there were some exaggerations. 
There were certain modesties about the Prince of 
Wales that seemed to contradict any deep instinct 
for dissipation in him. For instance, he was ab- 
normally fond of lemon cheese-cakes, a very harm- 
less passion, although they were called, in defer- 
ence to the prince's taste, "Maids of Honour." He 
was rather an epicure in pastry. He very much 
preferred the English sort, however. These facts 
were discovered about His Royal Highness because 
when people invited him out they wanted to know 
what were his favourite dishes. He disliked long 
dinners, and sometimes, to avoid indigestion, he 
requested the privilege of making the menu him- 
self. But above all things he enjoyed a good din- 
ner, and a good cigar, the Vally-Vally or a Bock 
being his favourite brand. He was usually short 
of ready money, and was always assisted by his 
friends, the late Baron Hirsch and Sassoon. The 
prince and these two gentlemen made an enchant- 
ing trio, well known about London. 
—140— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

I do not think that these habits of the young 
prince ever entirely left him during his reign. 
There was always a feigned boyishness, an irre- 
sponsible smile about King Edward VII. He 
seemed to be looking at the world with tolerant 
amusement. It is said that he often told his inti- 
mate friends, that his greatest wish was some day 
to become president of the Republic of Great Brit- 
ain. He was too intelligent a man to enjoy the 
pomp and splendour with which his rank was sur- 
rounded. The Prince of Wales was tone-giving, 
to belong to his set was the social ambition of Lon- 
don. I am more familiar, of course, with his later 
years, that is to say from the time of his marriage, 
than I could be with his early youth. 

As a man, the Prince of Wales disciplined him- 
self for his reign as King of England, to some ex- 
tent. He did not allow state affairs to enter into 
his private life. He was distinctly autocratic, do- 
ing exactly what he chose, and permitting no inter- 
ference of any sort that was likely to be a stumbling 
block to what he had in view for an hour, for a day, 
or for a month. Naturally, most of his engage- 
ments were made for him. Every morning his 
secretary would go up to the private suite of His 
Royal Highness, a bed room and sitting room. In 

—141— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

the latter room stood a Stock Exchange ticker, giv- 
ing quotations of every bourse in the world. The 
sitting room was more like a private office, con- 
taining a huge desk adorned by all the portraits of 
his family. The environment was simple but dis- 
tinguished. In the bed room there was a little low 
iron bed, on which His Majesty slept. It was most 
unlike an apartment of the king. 

In the outer corridor, of course, there were nu- 
merous pages walking up and down, being ready to 
announce any possible visitors. The private reti- 
nue of the Princess of Wales, now the Dowager 
Queen Alexandra of England, were all Danish. 
The retinue of the Prince of Wales were all Ger- 
man. These men, who were affable and well-bred 
servants, passed their lifetime with their Royal 
Highnesses. They were so devoted that one can 
hardly believe they were servants. The simplicity 
of the private apartments of royalty was certainly 
in great contrast to the magnificence of the recep- 
tion hall and staircases of the palace. I recall once 
being obliged to wait rather a long time to see Her 
Majesty Queen Alexandra because it happened 
there was a great dinner party being given at the 
time. I was asked to share the good things of this 
royal banquet, and all the dishes which were passed 
—142— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

to the royal dining room, I tasted. I was served 
with the same food as the king and queen and their 
royal guests. It took all my moral force to escape 
the temptation of pocketing one of those exquisite 
little gold coffee cups with Apostle spoons and 
sugar tongs representing Medusa. 

In my position as Court dressmaker I was, of 
course, given many privileges in certain opportuni- 
ties to meet royalties, and I was once offered a 
large sum of money by a woman of social ambi- 
tions to sit in my fitting room for one day. The 
disguise would have been quite possible, but it was 
a trick which would have been considered Use- 
ma jeste. There were many women in London 
society who seemed to be hemmed in, irresistibly 
restrained from great social position, but who were 
very rich. 

There was Mrs. Claude W , who had been 

one of the popular actresses at the Gaiety Theatre 
in London, in the time of Nellie Farren. She was 
a woman whose refinement of appearance would 
have made her an ornament of elegance and beauty 
to any society. She was quite admired by many 
of the cavaliers who surrounded His Royal High- 
ness. She dressed most extravagantly, and I was 
told she owed her dressmaker in Paris at one time 

—143— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

over five thousand pounds. Of course her husband 
was the son of a rich brewer. He inherited mil- 
lions, so that his wife lived in so lavish a manner 
that she was the talk of London, where, by the way, 
there was a great deal of extravagance. Colossal 
fortunes were spent on jewels and ornaments that 
dazzled the rich and the envious. The grand tier 
of boxes at Covent Garden during the opera sea- 
son was quite as brilliant as the horse-shoe at the 
Metropolitan in New York. Most of the wealth 
of London society in these days, when the Prince 
of Wales revolutionised the customs of Queen Vic- 
toria, was represented by American women. 

There was the daughter of Mrs. Bradley Mar- 
tin, Lady Craven, whose jewels were superb, and 
who very often had with her her little friend, Mrs. 
Sam Newhouse, an American woman who had glori- 
ous pearls. People shot up the social ladder in Lon- 
don society at this time as fast as their money could 
lift them. Perhaps the example which His Royal 
Highness gave to society at this time made it a 
little more decadent. Under the mantle of Queen 
Victoria's reign there was no room for the liberties 
which were inaugurated by the prince. There were 
embarrassing moments, or at least opportunities 
for them in the rooms of a fashionable dressmaker, 
—144— 



THE GALLANTRIES OF H. R. H. 

Frequently, through mistake, a bill for a gown, 
not intended for the wife, would accidentally reach 
her. It might be for a copy of the identical gown 
which she was wearing. 

Then there was that delightful little community 
that lived in St. John's Woods, the particular 
quarter in London where tired husbands telephoned 
their wives that they would be detained at the of- 
fice. Deviltry was in the air, from the time the 
Prince of Wales took the reins of London society 
in his hands. It even demoralised such intellectual 
giants as Lord Beaconsfield and Mr. Gladstone. 
Gladstone had tremendous brain-power, several 
times refused the peerage, and had a home life of 
high ideals. He was, however, particularly fond 
of the ladies, and often stopped on his way home 
from parliament in front of a celebrated shop win- 
dow in London, where the pictures of the reigning 
beauties were always in evidence. When Mrs. 
Asquith, who was Miss Tennant, was married, Mr. 
Gladstone wrote her a letter of congratulation 
which created a good deal of satirical comment. 

"It is my fervent prayer," he wrote, "that you 
shall always be the recipient of as much love as it 
is possible for a gentleman to give you." 

Mr. Gladstone was never a favourite of Queen 

—145— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Victoria's, although she was a Tory, but kings and 
queens cannot show favouritism. 

One man, however, stands out in my recollections 
of this early period of the Prince of Wales's social 
reign, the Duke of Northumberland. He was the 
tallest man in the realm, and founded a peculiar 
religious sect called Unionists. Their religious 
leaders were called Elders, and their doctrine was 
the enlightenment of charity and love in its purest 
form. The Duke of Northumberland was one of 
the most celebrated men of this time. Lord Percy, 
his eldest son, was accidentally killed in Paris. His 
mother was a sister of the late Duke of Argyle. 

It is a world of perpetual change, and little re- 
mains of so many things in London which were 
talked about at that time. 



—146— 



CHAPTER VI 

BRIDES AND WEDDING GOWNS OF THE COURT 
OF ST. JAMES 

London in the early eighties was famous for the 
extravagance and daring of the toilettes worn by- 
its beautiful women. It was at this time I made 
the trousseau of the only daughter of the Countess 
de Galve, the Honourable Mrs. Stanhope. It was 
the most extravagant trousseau that had been made 
in London up to that time, and many people came 
to get a glimpse of it. All the lingerie was 
trimmed with priceless real lace, and of each article 
there were six dozen. The bride was a beauty of 
an absolutely Russian type. She was very well 
formed, rather tall, and had many accomplish- 
ments. She painted well, she was a fine musician, 
a brilliant conversationalist. The wedding gown 
was of real lace, point d'Alencon, with forget-me- 
nots and lilies-of-the-valley. The bride's aunt, the 
Princess Souvaroff, appeared at the wedding in 
royal purple and orange velvet. She had been one 
of the famous beauties of the Second Empire. 

—147— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Even the Prince of Wales came to look at and ad- 
mire this marvellous collection of feminine crea- 
tions, the news of their fabulous cost having 
reached his ears. 

"Where in the world did you conceive these 
dainty impressions? What a happy mortal you 
must be to be allowed to study the beautiful things 
so near," said His Royal Highness. 

The Countess de Galve, the bride's mother, was 
so delighted with the result of my work that in 
token of her appreciation she gave me a superb dia- 
mond and sapphire marquise ring. This trousseau 
was the most expensive I ever made, almost regal, 
for it ran into four figures. 

It was shortly after this that I made the wedding 
gown for the two lovely daughters of the Countess 
of Leitrim, who were married within a day of each 
other. They were their Ladyships Winifred Ren- 
shaw and Lady Vivian. They were each of them 
different types of English beauty, but they were 
both tall, erect, and distingue. Their bridal gowns 
were of white satin charmeuse, with bridesmaids en 
suite in palest rose. They were married in St. 
Peter's Church, which is famous for its beautiful 
choir. Lady Vivian, soon after her marriage, be- 
came a widow, and I believe married again. Both 
—148— 



BRIDES AND WEDDING GOWNS 

these girls were good sports, and had been wonder- 
fully brought up to open air life. Their late father 
was a victim of the Irish feud, and was shot on their 
own property. Her Ladyship, the Countess of 
Leitrim, was a daughter of that celebrated sports- 
man, Lord Leicester. Her sisters all married 
peers of England. There is a romance attached 
to the history of Lord Leicester's eldest son, who 
disappeared from England and has never been 
heard of since. These mysterious cupboards that 
hold family skeletons are pretty liberally scattered 
among the rich and powerful. 

The fame of these trousseaux spread, and it be- 
came the vogue for brides of this period to come 
to me. Among the many brides I prepared for 
the altar there was none more charming than the 
pretty Countess of Arran, a Dutch girl, who cre- 
ated quite a furore as a bride. She was the real 
type of Holland beauty, tall and blonde. Her 
husband was a great contrast to her, being a sturdy 
man, a typical country squire of the old style. She 
is living to-day upon her property in Ireland. She 
was a very democratic, congenial girl, spoke many 
languages very well, was a good horsewoman, and 
her favourite idea of colour in her mode of dress was 
pastel. She has become thoroughly English, her 

—149— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

mother being an English woman, the daughter of 
the late Sir Bowden of Australia, who was very 
wealthy. One exquisite toilette I made for her, 
I particularly remember, was of lilac crepe de 
chine, trimmed with the most valuable Bucking- 
hamshire lace. A court train gown of amethyst 
velvet lined with sura, trimmed with huge pansies 
and lilacs. 

Among all the brides of my acquaintance, how- 
ever, there was never one like Rachel Gurney, now 
the Countess of Dudley. She was an epoch-mak- 
ing bride. 

Rachel Gurney was a beauty of the dark type, 
and a musician of note. She played the harp di- 
vinely, and had the most enchanting voice. She 
was comparatively poor and was brought up by 
the Marchioness of Tavistock, now Adeline, Duch- 
ess of Bedford, a most beautiful woman, who 
dressed always in perfect taste. Her sister, Laura 
Gurney, now Lady Trowbridge, who is much ad- 
mired for her literary taste, was brought up by 
her Aunt, Lady Henry Somerset, well known in 
America. Their mother, who was a sister of the 
late Countess Somers, was also a real beauty. 
When through the business failure of her late hus- 
band, fortune proved fickle, she too entered the 
—150— 




QUEEN MARY 

This photograph, showing Queen Mary in her magnificent Coronation Robe, 
was given to the author as an expression of Her Majesty's appreciation of her 
art. The gown was of satin, richly embroidered, and demanded the utmost 
originality and sk'll on the part of its designer. 



BRIDES AND WEDDING GOWNS 

field of fashion as a modiste, until she married 
again. 

I shall never forget the excitement with which 
Lady Dudley rushed in upon me one day to decide 
upon a gown for her engagement supper party. 

"Do tell me what I shall wear to-night," she 
pleaded, 

The solution was a simple mousseline ', with a ba- 
tiste sash of orange. She was very dark, with a 
glorious figure, and she was an accomplished musi- 
cian and linguist. Still, people were surprised that 
she should have made such a grand match with 
Lord Dudley, and there was a great deal of feeling 
of jealousy and envy. 

Lillian, Countess of Cromartie, the mother of 
Lady Stuart Richardson, who made such a sensa- 
tion in America in her barefoot dancing, was one 
of the most charming, delightful women whom I 
took the greatest delight in dressing. Neither 
Lady Stuart Richardson, her daughter, nor the 
younger Lady Cromartie, who married Major 
Blount, could ever hold a candle to their beautiful 
mother, Lillian, Countess of Cromartie. Even 
now, though her hair is perfectly white, she retains 
her fascinating dimples, and that wonderful skin 
of marble purity and whiteness. I should regard 

—151— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

her to-day as a singularly beautiful and attractive 
woman, with charming manners that have made 
her admired and adored everywhere. She was the 
daughter of the Lord of the Isle (MacDonald), a 
very old and historical family. She had a special 
photograph taken for me in one of my gowns, in 
appreciation of my talent. 

Another lovely creature was the Countess of 
Faversham, the mother of that trio of famous beau- 
ties, the late Duchess of Leinster, Lady Howard 
Vincent, and Lady Marie Duncombe. 

She had a personality that was very much above 
the average of English beauty. At a very early 
age her hair turned snow white, which gave her a 
proud and distant demeanour. Her natural re- 
serve prevented many people in a measure from 
appreciating her, but my personal intercourse with 
her was always adorable. I made a court gown for 
her in a new shade at that time, known as chaudron 
velvet, almost copper-colour. It was trimmed with 
priceless lace, and the mantle that hung from both 
shoulders was of deep bronze velvet fastened with 
two huge rubies. She presented a very sensational 
appearance at Court, and King Edward compli- 
mented her most impressively. She sleeps now 
with other famous beauties who have passed away, 
—152— 



BRIDES AND WEDDING GOWNS 

with her late husband, but there are many Dukes 
and Princes who have survived her, who are still 
singing her praises. 

Those lovely English women were supreme, and 
one looks in vain to-day for such elegance and 
beauty. Those English women were famous for 
perfect poise. 

Miss Agnes Keyser, known now as Sister Agnes, 
was always admired for her sylphlike figure. She 
used to be one of the most beautifully gowned 
women in London. Since the outbreak of the war 
she has spent her wealth lavishly in a good cause. 
To see her to-day in the simple but extremely be- 
coming garb of a Sister of the Red Cross, one can- 
not help remembering how brilliantly she adorned 
the gay world of London. She has received nu- 
merous decorations, and she was among those celeb- 
rities who had entree to King Edward's corona- 
tion. Her house in Grosvenor Gardens has been 
converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers. 

Not far from me in Wilton Crescent, lived Mrs. 
G. K., who was devotedly admired by His Majesty 
King Edward VII. She was intellectual and fas- 
cinating long before she became celebrated at 
Court. After the birth of her first baby she sent 
to me for some tea gowns. 

—153— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

"Not too expensive, and as pretty as possible," 
was her message. I sent her several which pleased 
her, and in later years, when she did not need to 
economise so much, I had the pleasure of making 
her some very elaborate and beautiful costumes. 
She was a very spirituelle type, and of such bril- 
liant wit that while it brought her the adoration of 
her friends it made many enemies for her. Her 
entertainments in her mansion in Grosvenor Place 
were thronged with smart and important people, 
who came to see and to be seen. It was of Mrs. 
George Keppel that the story was told of a bit of 
repartee aimed at her by a burglar. 

It is claimed that she discovered a burglar in her 
bedroom one night. 

"What are you doing under my bed?" she asked 
the burglar. 

"I am looking for a sovereign," replied the bur- 
glar. 

There are so many little anecdotes that one is 
tempted to spice this reminiscence food with, that 
might be as salt to the palate. I hope I may be 
forgiven for occasionally flavouring my story with 
them. One is naturally interested in anything that 
may bring us closer to those charming and beau- 
tiful women, who always improve upon acquain- 
—154— 



BRIDES AND WEDDING GOWNS 

tance. But I must heed the advice of Lady Teazle 
in "School for Scandal," who, when she left the 
room, said: 

"Ladies, I go, but I leave my character with 

you." 



—155- 



CHAPTER VII 

A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

The history of the great beauty and power over 
His Royal Highness of the beautiful Countess of 

W has been more or less inaccurately told, and, 

I may add, with more or less distortions. Among 
other women during the period of her reign, I 
knew her very well, and I am not among those who 
share the opinion that she was entirely cold blooded 
and vain in her devotion to His Majesty. She was 
herself an aristocrat, a woman of fine blood and 
feeling. Her father was an English officer, her 
mother of the English nobility. She had only one 
sister, not quite so distinguished, perhaps, as her- 
self, but a woman who by marriage and her own 
right enjoyed a good deal of social prominence in 
London. Their father, who was one of the richest 
land owners in England, almost a triple million- 
aire, left them a large fortune, which they spent 
royally. The countess was extremely beautiful. 
As a young girl her complexion and her hair were 
—156— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

faultless. She had a perfectly divine figure, a most 
charming disposition, and was unusually clever and 
witty. Her husband, a peer in the realm and an 
officer of the Life Guards, was a very handsome 
man, of the dark type, and they made an ideal cou- 
ple. Her son is now at the front. He too is mar- 
ried. Quite early in her career this beautiful wo- 
man was christened among her friends, "The Dar- 
ling of the Gods." This is not so many years ago 
but perhaps it seems to be so because so many per- 
sonalities and events have blurred the memories. 
The countess to-day is a very strikingly handsome 
woman, and has fully sustained the dignity of her 
past romance. I call it romance because I sin- 
cerely believe that it was. Aside from my own 
opinion, there is much reason for confirming it in 
the fact that Queen Victoria, the Duchess of Teck, 
in fact all the blood-ties of royalty, did their best 
to justify the affair on the grounds of unalloyed 
friendship. Queen Victoria received her very gra- 
ciously at court, even when society at large did not 
treat her quite correctly. The Duchess of Teck 
said to me once, in reference to the amour of the 
beautiful countess and the late king, "There is 
nothing in all this scandal. He likes her very 
much, as he does many others, — and that is all/* 

—157— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

As a matter of fact it is time that the truth about 
this romance be published. The fact is that the 
countess was very deeply attached to her sovereign, 
and he very deeply reciprocated her feeling. She 
became his constant companion, entirely by mutual 
desire, and wherever he went the countess would 
be asked also. There was a certain regardlessness 
about their constant companionship, and of course 
it so happened (as it always does happen among 
followers of royalty) that the society of the court 
pursued them with all the zest and curiosity of a 
pack of hounds on the hunt for prey. A romance 
between a king and a beautiful countess was con- 
sidered big game, and in the midst of the gaieties 
in which they shared, they managed to watch, to 
draw conclusions, to bestow their criticism upon 
the two who were most concerned. The scandal, 
I believe, was largely created by those who make a 
specialty of it, although there were plenty of rea- 
sons for romantic gossip. Neither His Royal 
Highness nor the Countess seemed to pay the 
slightest attention to criticism which must have 
reached her if it did not influence him. We can 
take into account, with absolute assurance, the fact 
that they were intellectually companionable. Their 
social tastes were the same, their likes and dislikes 
—158— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

among people, places, and amusement were very- 
similar. His Royal Highness was particularly- 
fond of music, and there was a great deal of it at 
court. All through his life one of the Prince's 
chief pleasures was music. The countess really 
was a great musician, and this I think was a bond 
of sympathy and understanding between them. 
Her beauty was really so startling and so perfect 
that there were innumerable portraits in oil made 
of her by famous painters, and there were also 
many rude drawings and caricatures made for the 
benefit of her friends. These caricatures were not 
always of a character to inspire good taste, — but 
these artists did not attempt to immortalise her 
beauty in them, they were probably willing to leave 
that for others. One may cavil at the redundancy 
of treatment, at the flamboyant style in which some 
of these portraits were made, and one could smile 
at the weaker and puerile adulations suggested 
when the countess was painted in the form of some 
classic and symbolic figure, as a goddess perhaps. 
There was, of course, every excuse for these exag- 
gerations because of the splendid opulence both of 
form and colour which she unassailably presented. 
She was a luxurious beauty, with a fine taste in 
art. Her sumptuous castle was filled with ex- 

—159— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

quisite marble statuary. Her parties in the coun- 
try were glorious. Her gardens were veritable 
retreats for Cupid, filled with grottoes, with yew 
trees, trimmed in all sorts of grotesque figures. A 
charming, restful spot. In her beautiful castle 
was a miniature theatre in case the peace of heaven 
which surrounded these beautiful gardens and the 
distant landscape should become tiresome to the 
guests. Usually, there was a delicious stillness in 
the air, broken alone by the songbirds in the shrub- 
bery, or the music of the fountains in the distance. 
The castle itself became a show place, and people 
flocked to see it, especially when upon great occa- 
sion the grounds were gloriously illuminated. The 
people themselves, as royalty described them some- 
times, the common people, paid the beautiful coun- 
tess great homage. In fact, the ladies of the court, 
of her own age, and those of a more delightful old 
age, assumed a discreet ignorance of her many 
amours. The conversation about her was always 
associated with intellectual and literary qualities. 
The countess herself was a woman of many gifts. 
Her earlier years were passed in a married life 
that was unassailable, peaceful, cultivated. She was 
an out-door woman, a splendid horsewoman, and 
—160— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

she loved dogs. She was rather imperious, in fact 
insolent, sometimes, and intolerant. 

Escoffier, the famous chef, who cooked so many 
remarkable dishes for the royal palace, was some- 
thing of a philosopher. ~No doubt he saw a good 
deal of the real romance, for it was the custom of 
the king to go with the countess into the kitchen, 
to be tempted there by some mysterious invention 
of Escoffier's. It was on one of these occasions 
that Escoffier is credited with saying to His Maj- 
esty something that sounds cynical: 

"God no doubt must have repented oi having 
made man, but he could never have done so for hav- 
ing made woman," he said. I am told that the re- 
lations between these two wonderful world figures, 
the countess and the king, were really profoundly 
idealistic. His Majesty called the countess, "My 
heart," and the countess, in her most intimate mood 
towards the king, called him "My soul." They 
would take long walks together in the grounds of 
the castle, and at the end of the walk they would 
disappear into the kitchen, where Escoffier would 
give them extraordinary refreshment. Of course, 
the prince was delighted, entertained, and full of 
admiration for this beautiful woman. These were 
the days when she was in high favour. He was so 

—161— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

completely flattered that he ignored her little short- 
comings, and listened sometimes to the amusing 
stories concerning gossip of the court, which he 
could tell better than anyone else. The people 
were talking a great deal at this time about His 
Royal Highness and the countess, and a good deal 
of this criticism must have disturbed her, for it af- 
fected the future of her son and her daughter. 
Still, to a certain extent, fearful of some outside in- 
fluence that should bear down upon her and disturb 
her royal romance, she realised that she could not 
expect a moral inspiration from the illicit love af- 
fair with the king. Besides, she was so fond of 
admiration and of power, she was so dominant, and 
followed always the precepts of convention only in 
a spirit of defiance, that it was only in after years 
she realised perhaps that it would have been better 
had she chosen to be more moderate. Her keen 
intuition served her well in scattering the possible 
rivals of her romance as they came along. It was 
with reluctance she assumed this position in the bat- 
tle of sentiment against other women. The misery 
of thought which the end of this romance brought 
to her is something that the world at large has not 
given her credit for. She was only defeated in 
her romance because owing to her rank and posi- 
—162— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

tion she wished to avoid public scandal. An aris- 
tocratic woman, she was also a loving woman, and 
because she was an aristocrat she dared not fret at 
the change which came over her romance, and she 
steeled herself against the disaster of time and 
years. There was not a more popular man in 
England than the Prince of Wales. He was kind- 
hearted to a fault, and in this weakness of virtue, 
his liaison with the countess became no longer so 
satisfactory. I am afraid His Royal Highness 
was a true butterfly of fashion. 

There is perhaps no better proof of the sincerity 
and depth of feeling which the countess had for His 
Royal Highness, than the following anecdote, be- 
cause it confirms the hurt which a woman feels 
when the man she loves fails in respect to her. It 
is recorded that His Royal Highness entered the 
room where she was, unannounced, and rather has- 
tily. 

"What on earth is the matter, sir, you frightened 
me," the countess said. 

"I cannot be so particular," said the prince peev- 
ishly, and his brusque manner and conduct startled 
her. His manner was definite but distinctly with- 
out sentiment. He said to her something like this : 

"You and I have always been great chums, and 

—163— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

you have been very good to me, thoroughly reliable, 
as sincere as any man friend could have been." 

This was not the manner of love, and the coun- 
tess, regarding it as a humorous mood, attempted 
to laugh it off. 

"Why all these compliments, there must be an- 
other motive." She became restless, surmising 
what was to come. His Royal Highness rang for 
tea, — not a powerful restorative, but an excuse for 
boredom. Then, with a winning smile, he lighted 
a cigarette and began a course of conversation in 
which he had no doubt become expert through 
many previous experiences of the same sort. The 
countess displayed the disaster to her feelings 
which this situation created, and she also realised 
that her display of feeling was exasperating to His 
Royal Highness. It dawned upon her that sooner 
or later some great scandal would add to the bit- 
terness of her disappointment, which he made clear 
to her. His Royal Highness left, and to a friend 
the countess described the shuddering loneliness 
which overcame her as she saw the beginning of the 
end. The crisis came soon. The countess started 
violent flirtations, knowing well that a famous ac- 
tress had supplanted her. To His Royal High- 
ness the incident was only one of many drawing 
—164— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

room intrigues, and served to give a little zest to 
his existence. Perhaps he may, or he may not have 
discerned the sincerity of her passion and her love 
for him, but he was coldly though charmingly ir- 
responsive. I am sure that the countess thought 
in the prince she had met her fate, and in accepting 
the end of this romance, she expressed a gratitude 
for knowing that it had not been true before it was 
too late. Beautiful and idealistic as the motive of 
a woman in love may be, the failure of them always 
brings an ugly end. So the beautiful countess be- 
came the target of outrageous slander and unspar- 
ing scandal. Even after the separation had been 
generally known and accepted, even though mis- 
representation and calumny had somewhat blurred 
the true memory, I believe that love such as these 
two felt was really a most uncommon devotion. 
Because of its truth and beauty, it created great 
jealousies, many misunderstandings among the 
stupid public, and the countess was obliged to suf- 
fer the revenge of the world against the woman 
who had been happy in spite of herself. Most of 
the stories were false, most of them were cruel lies, 
but how could they be denied? The countess did 
not see fit to give proof of these calumnies, nor 
would have deigned to do so. 

—165— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

I recall the many times it was my pleasure to see 
the beautiful countess in recent years, and she gave 
me the impression that she harboured no ill-will. 
She was perhaps cognisant of the fact that His 
Royal Highness, to say the least, had piqued her. 
She was also conscious that the field over which she 
had reigned with such personal pleasure and glory 
was now open to all comers. She retired most 
graciously, most gracefully. With fine diplomacy 
she poured oil on the troubled waters of her ro- 
mance, but she was continually looking out for an 
occasion to revenge herself upon the woman who 
had supplanted her. The latter's only crime was 
to do exactly what His Royal Highness desired 
above all things, which the beautiful countess her- 
self had so generously permitted. Then too, the 
countess really had no reason to challenge her 
rival's affection for the prince on grounds that she 
had deserted another man for him. The spirit of 
revenge, however, expressed itself violently one 
day in the hunting field adjoining the magnificent 
castle. Roth the countess and her rival were in the 
party. It was a glorious autumnal morning, the 
air was crisp with that invigorating atmosphere. 
The countess was riding leisurely out of her 
grounds to the meet, when in the distance she sa\y 
—166— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

His Royal Highness talking and laughing, and 
especially attentive to his new love. For some time 
he had been bestowing his attention upon two peer- 
esses but he had transferred them recently to the 
little marchioness who reciprocated his sentiment 
most graciously. It was this charming little court 
beauty whom the countess saw from a distance. 
She urged her horse furiously forward, and rode 
pellmell upon the marchioness. The horses clashed 
and the riding whips flung in the air just as the 
lances of old did their havoc among the warriors 
of England. His Royal Highness rushed between 
them, and after much difficulty succeeded in sep- 
arating the ladies. The countess in a measure was 
defeated and the little marchioness had the field 
to herself. Some time later the marchioness lost 
her foot through an accident in a motor in Paris. 
I believe that this accident has not deprived her of 
her charm or her beauty. She still rides superbly, 
and was most happy and contented when I last 
saw her. The scar across her face which the coun- 
tess' riding whip inflicted soon healed, but the scar 
in the heart of the countess still prevails, I fear. 
This episode considerably chastened the gossips, to 
say nothing of the spirit of the countess. But the 
marchioness also became extremely careful, for 

—167— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

the countess had made it clear that she would never 
forgive her rival's temerity. 

The countess will remain in the memory of those 
who saw her from a distance, and of those who 
knew her well, as one of the most lovable creatures 
among the beautiful women of the Court of St. 
James. Of course, the exquisite laces and frou- 
frous which it was my privilege to create for the 
countess were of such an alluring character that 
they would have assured the surrender of any man, 
beggar or king. She affected clinging, filmy 
nothings of great price, and her charms were 
greatly enhanced by the least possible artifice of 
the dressmaker. She moved with such wonderful 
grace that her presence was always a sensation. 

The footprints of great men who pursued the 
countess will probably never be entirely obliterated, 
although the winds of time have scattered them a 
little. She had a wild and vivid experience with 
great men who were stern but weak. She scalped 
most of them with supreme art. Who can tell 
what cards a woman plays, since she rarely plays 
them openly. The king of hearts may often be 
well hidden, or he may be the joker, or the knave; 
if the game was worth the candle, it does not mat- 
ter. One thing I have observed that women of the 
—168— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

aristocracy who become involved in secret romance, 
hold their own better than any other class of 
women. The "fallen" aristocrat never steps from 
her pedestal of aristocracy, she never tumbles with 
broken bones, only with a few shattered illusions, 
which have not affected her self-respect. 

Such a woman was the countess, whose sensa- 
tional romance with the Prince of Wales made the 
world of gossip swing a little faster, especially the 
society world of London and of England. 

Did they count the consequences, I wonder, or 
care about them? 

I very much doubt it. Certainly His Royal 
Highness did not suffer very greatly, for his tastes 
had the surprising indifference of variety. In his 
romantic episodes one could easily take him for 
Henry IV or Louis XIV. None of the women of 
the Court of St. James, whom I gowned, frequently 
for the special delight of His Royal Highness, were 
comparable for inspiration to the beautiful coun- 
tess. It was like receiving an order to fill the heart 
as well as the eye of the king, to prepare the beauti- 
ful countess in a toilette he would admire. One 
gown I remember in particular because His Royal 
Highness pronounced it as the prettiest bit of 
daintiness the countess ever wore. It was the most 

—169— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

superb Duchess satin of grey pearl with a corsage 
a la Louis XV in the palest rose colour miroir vel- 
vet. Square collar of batiste with an edging of 
point de Flanders, and the corsage was held with 
buttons of coral and diamonds. The ceinture was 
of black moire souple. With this Her Ladyship 
wore a large picture Leghorn hat trimmed with a 
garland of (Baroness de Rothschild) roses, grey 
suede shoes with diamond buckles a la Cromwell, 
a parasol entirely made of rose leaves, with a han- 
dle of corals, and her monogram in diamonds on 
the stick. Her mantelet was indeed wonderful, it 
was entirely of grey pearl chiffon ninon, the entire 
lining being rose leaves which fluttered in the wind 
and when walking gave the most wonderful effect. 
She certainly looked superb. I copied it for an- 
other grande dame of the Court in white and lilac. 
Of course, the wearer of this second edition was 
less interesting but more important, if such a thing 
could be possible. 

A tea gown which I made for the Countess was 
perhaps the most beautiful thing I ever put forth 
from my house. It was a copy adopted from 
Queen Victoria's coronation toilette. The under- 
garment was in the finest white crepe de chine with 
—170— 



A ROYAL LOVE AFFAIR 

an overmantle of the finest Burano lace with em- 
broideries of topaz, opals and chains of pearls, with 
a clasp, which held the mantle on the breast, of 
emeralds, turquoise, rubies and uncut sapphires. 



— m— 



CHAPTER VIII 

AUTHORS AND ACTORS OF KING EDWARD'S 
REIGN 

Musical comedy has been the nursery of many 
peerages, the cradle of many aristocratic wives who 
were chosen from the chorus. The ballet and the 
refined burlesque were the theatrical food upon 
which the aristocracy of England flourished. 

There are still many who remember those stars 
of the earlier days of the Prince of Wales. There 
were Nellie Farren, Lydia Thompson, Violet Cam- 
eron, Florence St. John, Letty Lind. To these 
meteors of this early period of the theatre within 
my recollection, were applied the slang compli- 
ments of the period. These ladies were, for in- 
stance, "Tophole," they were "Swishy." It was 
one of the joys of life to hear them sing and dance 
such little ditties as: 

"I am a swell, 
You can tell, 

And behave, of course, as such. 
—172— 



AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

Close cut hair, 

Elbows square, 

With my toothpick and my crutch." 

It was after the theatre that those delightful lit- 
tle supper parties were held at Cremorne Garden, 
or at the Argyle Rooms. At these parties the 
Prince of Wales would attend incognito. 

Later, when he was king, and the formalities of 
his rank had to be fulfilled, his aide-de-camp would 
wire or telephone to the box office, and the royal 
box would be reserved for him. Usually it was 
decorated with a bouquet of flowers, so that the 
public always knew at once that the performance 
would be graced by the king and queen, or the 
royalty. At Covent Garden, where grand opera 
was given, there was always a royal box exclusively 
reserved, and the omnibus box, as it was called, 
where His Majesty invited all his intimate friends 
to join him or call upon him between the acts. The 
king was always most punctilious to arrive at the 
beginning, and to remain till the end. But the 
opera had always been the centre of social glory 
and splendour, whether in London or in New 
York. 

I am convinced that modern beauty will never 
compare favourably with those regal ancestors of 

—173— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

hers, who passed in and out of my salon in the 
House of Frederic. It is my regret, that one no 
longer encounters those convincing beauties of ele- 
gance and charm of the last century, who remain so 
vividly in my mind. 

I observe to-day that the rage for beauty, vul- 
garly expressed, is "flapper" type. They at 
least do not require much study to gown 
them. The immature and inchoate baby type is 
far from convincing, and requires little exertion 
from an artist in dress. In America the "flapper" 
type has perhaps been more fully recognised than 
in Europe. American taste in dress seems to pan- 
der to all the senses, keeping in view the fads and 
fancies of the hour, leaving what might be called 
the real artistic business of dress to take care of 
itself. Perhaps the theatres have something to do 
with this deterioration of good taste and beauty. 
Years ago, even chorus girls in such plays as the 
famous Gaiety Theatre in London provided, were 
aristocratic in appearance. Many of them mar- 
ried into the British aristocracy, but the "flapper" 
type was not among them. 

I remember well in the early eighties, when the 
artists of the Comedie Francaise first came to Lon- 
don, when Moliere came to salute Shakespeare. 
—174— 



AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

What a bouquet of glorious women! 

The divine Sarah, willowy and slender, with her 
golden voice, appeared in "Phedre," wearing those 
pure white robes draped in classical folds. She 
impressed herself upon my mind as a classical fig- 
ure. I never could or would admit that she looked 
as well in modern garments as in her gorgeous 
Greek or Roman vestments. Her whole personal- 
ity seemed to change with modern dress; that sub- 
tle, glorious, sphinx-like movement, seemed ham- 
pered in up-to-date lines. 

The divine Sarah, though the greatest actress 
in the world, has her weaknesses and her shadows. 
She is absolutely one of the most extravagant and 
most marvellous creatures of the century. Noth- 
ing daunted her; lions and tigers were her com- 
panions, for years she travelled with her coffin. 
These may be fictitious facts, but they establish her 
originality and capability. She designed most of 
her gowns herself. They were scrupulously car- 
ried out under her direction. The embroideries, 
for instance, of her darling "Fedora" were really 
great works of art. I saw them in the making at 
a famous embroidery house in Paris, where I had 
gone to choose some designs. The "Fedora" 
gowns were exquisite, the jewels alone used in them 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

being valued at 20,000 francs. One gown was de- 
signed exactly upon the principle of a Cardinal's 
vestment. In private life, Sarah is as emotional 
as she is on the stage. She adores her son, whose 
father, it is said, is a Prince. Every one knows how 
intensely patriotic the great actress is, and when 
the Kaiser finally succeeded in persuading her to 
come to Berlin, she could not restrain her feelings. 

"Of course," she said, "great minds must meet 
sooner or later." 

How well these great minds each have played 
their part, how fantastically they are the creatures 
of wonder of the age ! Both have stirred the hemi- 
sphere, one upon the stage in theatrical drama, and 
one upon the world's stage in a stupendous drama 
in history. Who will receive the greatest applause 
of humanity at large when these two world figures 
make their final bow? 

You must forgive me the little cynicisms that will 
creep into my narrative, in spite of all I can do to 
restrain criticism. Perhaps I dwell too much upon 
personality, expect too much of it, but I speak from 
experience and not surmise. 

The animal charm of Croizette, one of the beau- 
ties of the Comedie Francaise, excited an extrava- 
gance in dress that I deplored. Her physique, en- 
—176— 



AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

hancing as it did her toilettes, created extravagant 
admiration of her among a class of women who 
dwell upon dress and its accessories as a sort of 
sacrament of beauty, a religion. Croizette mar- 
ried the rich banker, Monsieur Jules Stern, which 
was a desirable apotheosis to her brilliant life, but 
she was always too extravagant. All women are 
not in position to give full swing to their extrava- 
gance, and therefore Croizette was a visible tempta- 
tion to them. There are many women for whom 
simple garments are more refined than the spec- 
tacular clothes, and yet not less costly. A piece of 
point de Flanders or point de Venise, an old 
world batiste used as a fichu, with a taupe crepe de 
chine gown, will often run to three figures. 

Most of these women of the Comedie Francaise 
were really great artists, however, and one cannot 
speak of them with anything but a sense of grati- 
tude for their devotion to their great work. 

There was Madame Baretta, charming Baretta, 
the tragic death of whose only son practically ended 
her career. She withdrew from the world after 
this, and lived only a few years longer, to the sor- 
row of those who adored her. 

As my establishment was in London, it was my 
privilege, naturally, to gown many of the cele- 

—177— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

brated English actresses of to-day and yesterday. 

Lady George Alexander, wife of Sir George 
Alexander, of the St. James Theatre, London, was 
a delight to a dressmaker, because she had the 
greatest talent for dress herself. When she was 
still Mrs. George Alexander, and together we were 
choosing the colour schemes and styles for a new 
production, she always had abnormally bright ideas 
of her own, which happily enough we were able to 
carry out to perfection. She always dressed ex- 
quisitely; it was inherited from her French blood, 
and her influence dominated the good clothes of the 
numerous plays that were so successfully produced 
at the St. James Theatre. 

Lady Alexander would spend days in my estab- 
lishment, rummaging over the most lovely mate- 
rials, laces, embroideries, embroidered batistes and 
trimmings. These were very hilarious occasions 
for us both, and our laughter very often disturbed 
one or another of the grand ladies waiting in my 
reception room, and who were formally and pa- 
tiently awaiting their turns to be attended to. 

Miss Marion Terry, I recall also as one of my 
very charming customers, Miss Eva Moore, Miss 
Granville, and Miss Julie Opp, who were all mem- 
bers of the company at the St. James Theatre. 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

Sir George Alexander came over himself one day 
to see me, and paid a very graceful compliment 
when he said that he understood why Her Ladyship 
spent so much time with me. 

It was in the early eighties that Lady Beerbohm 
Tree, then Mrs. Tree, first came to me. She was 
then not quite so distinguished in her style and 
mode as she is to-day, but I remember she liked my 
gowns. To-day her great friends, the Duchess of 
Rutland and Lady Marjorie Manners, have 
adopted styles of individual gowning, which have 
failed to convince the modern woman, however, who 
is apt to consider them eccentric. 

The success of the gowns I made for the produc- 
tion of Oscar Wilde's play, "Lady Windermere's 
Fan," in London, brought about an overwhelming 
business for me in the theatrical world. This was 
a production made at the Haymarket Theatre by 
Sir Beerbohm Tree. Lady Tree was one of those 
esthetic looking women, with a very definite indi- 
viduality. Neither of her daughters resemble her 
in the least. Her eldest daughter, I understand, 
has returned to the stage, notwithstanding the fact 
that she married well, and for love. 

Miss Fay Davis and Miss Granville, of St. 
James Theatre, were among the beauties of dis- 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

tinctly English style. Miss Davis, who was very 
distingue looking, became a very great favourite in 
London, acting many years for St. George Alex- 
ander. The gowns I created for her she wore with 
a great deal of distinction. I can still see her in a 
white tulle ball gown, very full, with fringes 
of iridescent pearls showered like dewdrops. Miss 
Granville made a sensation in a princess robe 
of orange velvet mousseline embroidered with dia- 
monds. I subsequently made a copy of this gown, 
which I designed for Miss Granville, for Her 
Majesty the Queen of England, in blue Sevres and 
variegated blue stones. 

Pretty little Eva Moore, who married Henry 
Esmond, the playwright (perhaps because she 
knew that he would write such charming plays for 
her), was a spoiled child of the English theatre- 
going public, as were her sisters. She was very 
dainty and very pretty. I remember trying on a 
little grass-green linen gown I had made for her, 
to be worn in her husband's play, "The Wilder- 
ness." 

"They will surely make a meal of me," she said 
laughingly. 

"Yes," I said, "if you dare to go too near the 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

footlights they might take you for a delicious cab- 
bage in cream." 

I believe that Eva Moore in a little linen lawn 
tennis gown which she so well knew how to wear, 
really made me celebrated. 

I shall always feel that I contributed something 
to the success of a great prima donna, Madame Al- 
bani, at Covent Garden, in that brilliant first per- 
formance of Verdi's "Othello" in which she ap- 
peared with the athletic tenor, Tamagno. Her 
toilettes were gorgeous, the embroideries alone 
costing over two hundred guineas. The tea gown 
of pure lace du Burano, worn when the Moor 
comes to her couch in jealousy to slay the fair Des- 
demona, was very beautiful. Tamagno apologised 
to me afterwards for crushing it. 

"It was really too lovely to smother her in it," 
he said. "I hesitated, for her lines were so exqui- 
site. I hated to be so treacherous, but it had to be 
done, though I treated your work very gently." 

Even a Moor of Venice can be chastened by such 
a beautiful dress. 

Two other great artists in the theatrical world 
in London, whom I remember so well, were Ellen 
Terry and Lady Bancroft. Many of us can re- 
member what a really versatile, clever, charming 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

actress Lady Bancroft (Marie Wilton) was. 
When she appeared in "Diplomacy," London 
raved about her. The Prince of Wales always at- 
tended the opening of the Bancrofts. She was not 
exactly pretty, but very magnetic. It was Lady 
Bancroft and her husband, Sir Squire Bancroft, 
who made the Haymarket Theatre famous. 

She was notoriously difficult to please, but some- 
how or other I always scored with her. She was 
fond of me, and only last year I received a letter 
from her country seat near Folkestone. I remem- 
ber once a session with her which lasted five long 
hours, during which we discussed a certain colour 
scheme. At the end of it we drove to the theatre, 
and saw how the furniture and the hangings of the 
scenes would harmonise with the proposed gown. 
Lady Bancroft being rather short in stature, it was 
often difficult to carry out satisfactorily her own 
plans for her toilettes. However, she didn't mind 
the trouble she unconsciously caused. When the 
gown was completed, she would say quite pleas- 
antly : 

"If you don't mind, dear, we will change it a 
little." 

Changing it a little meant a complete recon- 
struction of the gown, and yards of silk ? velvet, lace; 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

and embroidery went the way of all that is mortal. 
Yet, one did please her after all, if one didn't op- 
pose her too much. 

The Bancrofts' home in Berkeley Square, Lon- 
don, was rather curious. Their whole staircase 
was lined with caricatures of all the celebrities of 
their long reign in London. Du Maurier, Punch's 
great artist, is responsible for most of them. Sir 
Squire Bancroft, a tall figure with snow-white hair, 
with his inevitable monocle in his eye, is still a strik- 
ing personality in London. One of their sons died 
in China, having married a daughter of the famous 
Kembles. I believe the marriage was not a happy 
one, for they were divorced. 

Lady Bancroft is a devout Catholic, most char- 
itable, and has done a great deal for the cause of 
the Allies. She still holds her own, is still satirical, 
witty and spirituelle. Her fame has not vanished, 
although she retired from the stage some years ago. 
She still often plays for charity. 

When the automobile was not so much in evi- 
dence, you could meet the Bancrofts, like Darby 
and Joan, driving in their victoria, drawn by two 
nice Irish cobs. England has never been able to 
replace Mrs. Bancroft. She had her own peculiar 
style, convincingly serious, screamingly funny, and 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

versatile. Even Queen Victoria, I believe, sent for 
them to give private performances at Balmoral, 
and King Edward was one of the earliest admirers 
of Her Ladyship, remaining a very true and 
staunch friend always. The Prince of Wales 
Theatre was where Lady Bancroft became famous, 
before leasing the Haymarket Theatre. 

Ellen Terry, the paragon of English tragedy, 
the sweet Juliet of Irving's Romeo, stirred Lon- 
don, and for that matter America, for years. We 
are contemporaries, and we have met on and off 
the stage for many years. Her sliding movement 
when she greets you, her alluring, bewitching smile, 
have not really altered. She has been, I believe, a 
happy woman, and all the homage and all the 
adoration she has received, never spoiled her. Her 
daughter and her son are both great artists, classic 
designers, having staged many pieces of the Greek 
and Roman cult. Ellen Terry comes of a wonder- 
ful family, for among them are many of the shin- 
ing lights of the English stage. She herself was 
perhaps the most graceful figure on any stage. 

Her garments were always part of her, her flow- 
ing robes (for she never wore a corset), her glid- 
ing movements, sylph-like in their grace, always 
gave me the impression that when she walked she 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

never touched the earth. She moved so stealthily, 
so quickly, and yet with such perfect modulation. 
Creating gowns for Ellen Terry was always an 
easy matter for me. She would come to my studio, 
stretch out on the couch, and say to me : 

"Now, dear, what shall I wear?" 

"Well, it is difficult to say, will you please stand 
up until we try some effect?" I would say. 

"No, dearie, just hang some material around, so 
that I can look at it, and when I see something that 
strikes my imagination I will get up." 

Often she would take the scissors out of the fit- 
ter's hands. 

"Let me show you," she would say, and that 
would end it. 

She was angelically sweet, never out of temper, 
erratic in the extreme, but a charming woman. 
Whatever I created for her was always a joy to 
me, for I knew I was garbing an artist, a superb 
woman. 

Those piquant little stories of her early life may 
have some truth in them or may not. We are all 
well aware that the greater our success, the greater 
the number of our enemies. I presume that is her 
case. I know that the great grief of her life came 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

when Sir Henry Irving and she severed a life-long 
friendship. 

I shall always maintain that it was Ellen Terry 
who made Irving famous. It was she who called 
forth the divine fire in him, which was certainly dor- 
mant until she fanned the flickering flame into a 
bright and shining light. For doing this, it seems 
to me ingratitude was her fate, as it is with many 
others. The fickleness and vagaries of fortune be- 
set many of us, and Ellen Terry was no exception. 
I love her very much, she is such a human, kind 
creature, and I wish her well to the end of the chap- 
ter. 

One cannot leave this period of extraordinary 
genius in the English theatre without referring to 
Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, to Harry Montague, the 
ideal of young hearts, Ada Lewis, Hugh Con- 
way, and many others. Mrs. Kendal was always 
spoken of in whispers, because one always feared 
saying something that would shock her exquisite 
sensibilities. She was rather a tall, majestic-look- 
ing woman, when she was Madge Robertson. She 
and her husband played together for so many years 
that one never dreamed of separating them by 
thought or word. Mrs. Kendal's favourite stage 
trick was to turn her back to the audience, for in 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

evening dress she had a very beautiful back. Mr. 
Kendal, I believe, must have been a sort of Egyp- 
tian sphinx inwardly, because he was never known 
to express an opinion, or to speak to another wo- 
man except his wife. He was very handsome, but 
I am sure he never would have dared to suggest 
appearing with any other actress, save his wife, for 
it would have been the worse for him, so active 
was the green-eyed monster in the heart of beauti- 
ful Madge Kendal. There was never a word of 
criticism concerning the purity and domestic per- 
fection of their lives. 

I believe that Madge Robertson really made an 
actor of Mr. Kendal ; at any rate, he learned every- 
thing he knew about acting from her. I have also 
always thought that Ellen Terry, that supple, co- 
bra-like woman, made Sir Henry Irving. She 
adored him and always quoted him as her guiding 
star. Perhaps he was, but I do not share her opin- 
ion. In later years he devoted a good deal of time 
to that little woman who wrote for Vanity Fair. 
It was a decided decadence in good taste, she was 
such a direct contradiction to the marvellous per- 
sonality of the great tragedienne. 

It took some little time before King Edward 
showed any interest in the Alexanders at the St. 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

James Theatre, but he was finally induced to pa- 
tronise it from time to time by Her Royal High- 
ness the Duchess of Fife. 

Of course, many of us to-day remember that 
exquisite woman Ada Cavendish, who made such 
a sensation in a version of Wilkie Collins' "The 
New Magdalen." The Prince of Wales in his 
younger days greatly admired her. She married 
Captain Marshall, the playwright. People were 
much more eager for the theatre in those days than 
they are now; it was before the horrible advent of 
those terrible moving pictures. I remember the 
crowds that used to go to the Prince of Wales 
Theatre in Oxford Street, to see those fine actors, 
Rignold, Warner, Wilson Barrett, in those spec- 
tacular melodramas once so dear to the British 
heart. Then there was William Terriss, that hand- 
some actor who was stabbed to death by a madman 
at the stage door of the Adelphi Theatre one night 
in London, where he had been making an enor- 
mous success in an English melodrama called 
"Harbour Lights." His pretty daughter, Ellaline 
Terriss, who married Seymour Hicks, danced her- 
self into favour with the king in a foolish little ditty 
called "A Little Bit of String." She is still a 
great favourite with the theatre public. 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

I cannot fail to mention Fred Terry, Ellen 
Terry's brother, and his charming wife, Julia Neil- 
son. Her beauty was indeed ravishing. Then 
there was Cyril Maude, who, with his clever wife, 
pleased London with his smug smartness in com- 
edy. Who can forget Oscar Asche and Lily 
Brayton, his wife, in their magnificent production 
of "Kismet." One could write a volume about 
the English actors and actresses of my period in 
London, but I have mentioned only those who re- 
ceived royal favour. 

A number of English actresses who married in 
the peerage, and a number of peers' sons who went 
on the stage, have perhaps been responsible for the 
impression that King Edward regarded the the- 
atre as part of the fashion of the court. This is 
entirely erroneous, because although His Majesty 
was always courteous, and personally rather fond 
of the players, he never allowed an actress to be 
presented at court. I doubt whether he approved 
of the theatre as a profession, in spite of the fact 
that several of the chorus girls of the Gaiety The- 
atre married into the peerage. The Marchioness of 
Headford, for instance, was formerly on the pro- 
gram of the Gaiety Theatre as Rosie Booty. Lady 
Victor Paget, the late Countess Clancarty, the 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Marchioness of Aylesbury, belonged to the chorus. 
Then there was Lilly Elsie of "Merry Widow" 
fame, who became Mrs. Ian Bullough, Miss Clif- 
ford, who became The Honourable Bruce, and lost 
her husband in the beginning of the war (he was 
the son of Lord Aberdeen) , and Lady Carrington, 
now a widow, all belonged to the variety stage. 
There were enormous possibilities for the beautiful 
coryphees of the English stage, young girls of all 
sorts and conditions. Some of them were from the 
slums of the East End, and they gathered even 
thousands in the transit of art. The stage favour- 
ites of London always had the entree to many 
smart sets, but I believe King Edward, who was 
most fastidious, respecting etiquette, drew the line 
very sharply between court life and the stage. Not- 
withstanding his laxity in minor details respecting 
the weaker sex, he was very strict in other details. 

Among the social lions connected directly or in- 
directly with the theatre, were the authors, famous 
and infamous, of that day. I knew many of them 
well. Particularly do I remember Ouida, that 
woman of sublime imagination, who wrote "Strath- 
more," "Moths," "Under Two Flags." 

She was occupying a royal suite in the then very 
famous and much frequented Langham Hotel in 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

the Portland Place, one of the most beautiful 
thoroughfares in London. Her mother was with 
her and would never allow her to be disturbed on 
any pretext while writing. Her favourite mode 
of dressing was in yellow silk, quite decollete. From 
her many admirers among the Crack Regiments she 
chose as her beau ideal a handsome Life Guards- 
man, a peer of the realm, after whom she moulded 
most of her heroes. Her story-book women were 
always bad, frivolous, even worse than that. I once 
hinted to her, somewhat audaciously at the manner 
in which she dealt with the weaker sex. 

"My dear, let me tell you, there are no good 
women excepting those who are made so by men," 
she said. 

How ghastly, I thought, to be inured to such a 
cynical opinion of one's sex. She wrote with won- 
derful descriptive power, and her vivid conceptions 
of human nature were very true to life, yet, poor 
soul, she died heart-broken and poor, though her 
star of life was once one of the most brilliant in 
the horizon of her day. Her last years were the 
winter of fiction. 

In appearance, Ouida looked like a gypsy. She 
was very dark, with deep-set eyes that had a pecul- 
iar far-away look. She affected gowns of gypsy 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Romany style which suited her very well. She was 
very antagonistic to the modern woman, and it was 
part of her nature to never allow them to shine 
when she was present. I believe, however, I was 
very favourably looked upon by her. She adored 
her two collies, Ca?sar and Minks, who were always 
with her. She talked to them like human beings. 

"My canine friends are real," she used to say, 
"the others are chimera." 

In a measure I believe she was right. In her 
lap the little Pomeranian she claimed inspired her. 
Her soul understood the language of these dogs 
well. She was charitable and human in the ex- 
treme, though grotesque at times in her toilettes. 

Of the many literary celebrities I met, I shall 
never forget the little talks we used to have with the 
Poet Laureate, Lord Tennyson, whom we used to 
meet at a little cafe in Regent Street, in London, 
where the poet used to come to sip his cafe noir. 
The usual attractions of youth were still with me 
then, and being a poet perhaps, he was still sus- 
ceptible. 

"People are often so uncharitable," I said to him. 
He paused a minute before answering me, and with 
that ambiguous smile for which he was noted, he 
finally said: 
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AUTHORS AND ACTORS 

"Scandal is like an oyster knife that hacks and 
hews the will, but not the power to abuse." 

Tennyson was rather tall, he wore his hair un- 
usually long, and the most predominant thing about 
him was his intellectual, broad forehead. His eyes 
were rather large, his eyebrows very prominent, he 
had a very sympathetic manner, and he was ex- 
ceptionally gallant. Frequently with my best 
friend, "my late husband," we would stroll to- 
gether from the little cafe on our way home, listen- 
ing to this genius, for that he was unmistakably. I 
fail to see any resemblance to him in his son. 

Mrs. Craigie (Oliver Hobbs) wrote several 
charming plays which delighted the entire royal 
family. Especially charmed were they with her 
play called "Some Emotions and a Moral." It 
created quite a sensation, especially as the authoress 
was very young, and, of course, some surprise at 
the cynical tone of the play. Her romance began 
when she was only sixteen. Appearing in an ama- 
teur performance, she met a young American who 
had just come over, and immediately became en- 
gaged to him. He was very good-looking, and he 
played the part of a Naval officer. She believed 
that she was in love, married him, and her married 
life proved to be a failure. She divorced him. She 

—193— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

had a charming son, who was educated by his grand- 
parents, and served his country at the front. 

Pearl Morgan Richards, who became Mrs. 
Craigie, was a wonderfully bright and witty woman. 
She had a streak of perpetual sarcasm, and yet her 
wit made you love her at once. She had beautiful 
eyes, and a very lovely hand. She was a great 
friend of Lord and Lady Curzon, and went to the 
Durbar as their guest. That was the late Lady 
Curzon, who was Miss Leiter of Chicago. They 
were intimate and charming friends, and the cur- 
tain of time has fallen on both of them. 



—194— 



CHAPTER IX 

THE MODERN SPIRIT OF KING EDWARD'S RULE 

At the close of Queen Victoria's reign, the rest- 
lessness which Her Majesty's conservative policy 
at court had so long restrained, began to take ac- 
tive measure. The popularity of the Prince of 
Wales, whose accession to the throne seemed to be 
interminably deferred, had instilled a more modern 
spirit among the aristocrats and the beautiful 
women, of which there were so many in England at 
this time. There were indications of this in such 
gala events during the latter part of Queen Vic- 
toria's reign, as the great ball at Warwick Castle, 
given by the beautiful Countess of Warwick. She 
was in high favour at that time with the Prince of 
Wales, whose patronage of beauty was well known. 
It was my privilege to make most of the gowns, 
the lingerie, even the robes de wait of this famous 
court beauty. She was the most ravishing English 
beauty of her time, and is still a vision of loveliness 
to-day. 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

It was at this famous ball at Warwick Castle, 
that the Countess of Warwick wore an entirely new 
suggestion for a ball dress. I think I was the first 
to introduce the fashion, which has since been widely 
copied. It was the blending of fur with tulle. The 
gown worn by the Countess of Warwick was a 
rose tulle ball gown, with narrow sable borders. 

Shall I ever forget that ball ! 

The immense ball room in that historical old Cas- 
tle Warwick was filled with the most glorious ex- 
otic flowers. Palms, wonderful bushes of clematis, 
tea roses, violets, white lilacs, all intermingled with 
lilies-of-the-valley. The general effect was one of 
a modern saturnalia. The parterre floor shone like 
a looking-glass. It was smooth as polished metal. 
Huge subdued rose tinted lights gave a dull soft 
hue to everything. Armies of footmen in their gor- 
geous livery of the earl's household made one 
think almost of the great ball that preceded Water- 
loo. All the leading County families and their 
daughters were present, and His Royal Highness, 
the Prince of Wales, opened the ball with the 
Countess, who was an ideal woman for an ideal ball 
gown. The glorious inanteau of velour miroire 
doublee in chinchilla, which she wore, was the fin- 
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KING EDWARD'S RULE 

ishing touch that startled everybody. The manteau 
was finished with a sable collar. 

She ruled supreme upon the horizon of fashion 
for a very long time, and I had the pleasure of mak- 
ing for her superb liseuse and tea gowns of a daring 
description. Her robes de nuit, in ninon rose, black, 
and vert d'eau profusely trimmed with real Valen- 
ciennes made her look like a Louise de Lavalliere. 
She was a woman of such exquisite form. 

The Countess of W. was one of my earliest, and 
by far the most encouraging inspiration. It was 
for her that I devised many daring effects. I recall 
adapting Queen Victoria's coronation gown into a 
picture tea gown for the Countess of W., of lace 
ninon with pearl trimmings. Her Majesty Queen 
Victoria would have been surprised to see how much 
her coronation gown looked like a tea gown. Then 
there was an Empire tea gown of blond lace. It is 
a lace which is so transparent that if used on a light 
tissue the effect is that of a blond chevelure. It is 
mostly made in the Ardennes, and few people know 
how to employ this beautiful lace to advantage. It 
is as delicate as cobweb, with opalescent shades, 
when draped over any material of suitable texture. 
I have always been very successful in using it. 

There was no end to the original effects that 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

were possible for a woman of the physical splen- 
dour of the Countess of W. I was very proud of 
an opera cloak which I made for her, which at- 
tracted wide attention at the time, and which I be- 
lieve no other woman could have worn. It was a 
regal wrap of fine white cloth, smothered with 
coarse Guipure, disclosing Persian embroidery 
and lined with rose and gold. 

It was in such women as the Countess of W. that 
the Prince of Wales confirmed his prediction of a 
new and more brilliant fashion when he should be- 
come king. I shall always feel that King Edward 
VII was the arbiter of the brilliant styles which 
he admired. I feel that he dictated to the English 
women of fashion, for his taste was that of a grand 
Seigneur. He was very original, and created about 
him an atmosphere which inspired a startling qual- 
ity. He always adapted himself to his surround- 
ings. It didn't matter whether His Majesty was 
at Ascot, or Derby, at a horse show, at the opening 
of Parliament or at a salon. King Edward always 
gave a personal tone to those about him. What he 
said and what he did were quoted at professional 
clubs. His bon mots were adopted everywhere, for 
he was extremely witty, cynical at times, but full 
of wonderful good nature. King Edward was 
—193— 



KING EDWARD'S RULE 

really a very great diplomat ; his diplomacy was of 
a quality that would have been an immense value 
in temporising the conditions which brought about 
the war. 

With the accession of His Majesty, King Ed- 
ward VII, and Queen Alexandra to the throne, 
dress was no longer so conventional, it became more 
free and easy. The King and Queen seemed to be, 
as you would say over here, more up to date. To 
be sure, the Court Drawing Rooms were still held 
in the day time, but the balls, the concerts at Buck- 
ingham Palace, were less formal and tiresome. The 
usual list of people one met at these Court func- 
tions was much changed. There were not so many 
bores at the palace as there were during the regime 
of Queen Victoria. Of course, there were those 
who deplored the fact that society was becoming 
flippant. A great many of us regarded this new 
freedom in dress, in talk, as a great relief. 

The first years of the reign of King Edward VII 
were very brilliant socially. The whole atmosphere 
of social conditions in London became charged with 
the joviality and wit of the King himself. He was 
a great admirer of beautiful women, and he en- 
couraged their presence at the British court with 
every possible sign of favour. In presence and per- 

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LOVE STORIES OF COUftT BEAUTIES 

sonality he was a real charmer, the ladies all adored 
him. His intimates called him "Teddy." He was 
the best groomed cavalier of his day, the Beau 
Brummel of his century. Both the King and the 
beautiful Queen Alexandra came into power with 
the love and esteem of their millions of subjects. 
They were as much adored by the man in the streets 
as by the aristocracy, the dowagers, and the younger 
generation of their reign. I always believed that 
His Majesty was even more popular in Paris than 
in London. It is generally conceded that the en- 
tente cordiale was established by King Edward VII 
so firmly, that no other power could disturb the al- 
liance. King Edward still lives, we do not realise 
that he is dead, so remarkable is the influence of 
his spirit over the affairs of England. When peo- 
ple speak of a delightful man, of a good King, they 
remember Edward VII. 

As Princess of Wales, and later as Queen Alex- 
andra, this beautiful woman was always famous 
for her exquisite taste in gowns. It was really an 
inborn quality with her. Her Majesty has always 
been considered the best dressed woman in England. 
I say this, having some personal knowledge of how 
the court beauties of her day envied her; envy is 
such a frequent intruder upon the dressmaker's 
—200— 



KING EDWARD'S RULE 

career. Thousands strive to copy Her Majesty's 
gowns, her hats, her coiffure, but they were all just 
spurious imitations. Even to-day, having reached 
the years when one is less likely to be observed in 
the matter of dress, Her Majesty remains the most 
elegant of women, the most royal of all the Queens 
of the last century. 

My acquaintance with Queen Alexandra was of 
many years. I assisted in the direction of her gowns 
before she was Queen of England, and long after 
that. The privileges that came to me as modiste to 
royalty were not merely a formal obedience to royal 
commands. A queen being measured for a gown, is 
still a woman. The atmosphere of the queen's bed- 
chamber, however, is something that is indescrib- 
ably different. 

It may be that one associated some mysterious 
superiority to the personality of a queen, because 
she is queen. At any rate I shall always recall my 
visits to the bedroom of Queen Alexandra with the 
same sentiment that any other woman would, who 
enjoyed the same privilege. 

The Queen's bed-chamber was a huge, square 
bedroom, with a very high ceiling. It was a unique 
apartment, for there was nothing modern about it. 
Its huge four-poster bedstead was awe-inspiring, 

—201— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

and the various old oak chests of a former period, 
the couches, the chairs, were all of the early English 
period. 

A large crucifix hung over Her Majesty's bed, 
and the real lace coverings upon which were woven 
the royal escutcheon, were very beautiful and ele- 
gant. Adjoining the bedroom was the queen's bou- 
doir, a lovely nest, in which Her Majesty put aside 
her crown, and presumably put on her slippers. 

Beside her dressing table, upon which were the 
usual toilet accessories, but of pure gold, stood a 
mahogany case, with an open glass inlaid front. In- 
side this case, all symmetrically arranged, were the 
queen's personal jewels. Among them were the 
most lovely parures of diamonds, pearls, rubies, 
sapphires, onyx, in fact the entire galaxy of beau- 
tiful stones and jewels so placed in the cabinet as 
to be ready for wear, to match any gown. 

The bedroom screen was a very unique bit of fur- 
niture. It contained a multitude of photographs, 
inserted in panels, of the young generation of all 
the reigning families of Europe, and of all royalty. 
These photographs were framed in white wooden 
arabesque, which made them stand out beautifully. 
If the political masters of Europe could have had 
a glimpse at this wonderful album of photos in 
—202— 



KING EDWARD'S RULE 

Queen Alexandra's boudoir, and realise, as they 
would have done, how tender and how close the in- 
ternational relations of Europe were, by actual bond 
of social relationship, it is possible some of them 
would want to hide behind that screen in view of 
what is happening now, to hide themselves from the 
political shame of the present war. 

That Her Majesty might survey at her ease the 
toilettes she was to wear, a huge gown-rack stood 
beside the dressing-table, upon which various gowns 
could be displayed, so that Her Majesty could com- 
fortably choose the one she preferred to wear. 

There was an atmosphere about the Queen's bou- 
doir of quiet dignity, of perfect order, of peace of 
mind. The windows of her boudoir looked out upon 
the velvet lawn, the orderly footpaths of the palace 
grounds, and huge oak trees cast their shadows 
nestling at the windows of this exquisitely appointed 
royal chamber. Of course, there were mementoes 
of all sorts of things, little knick-knacks that were 
probably personal souvenirs. Most prominently 
displayed in the room, however, were large photo- 
graphs of all the royal children of the queen, who 
were then grown up. I recall one especially beau- 
tiful photograph, taken of Her Majesty as a bride, 
upon her entree into London; a speaking likeness 

—203— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort ; a charm- 
ing picture of the Duke of Clarence. And then 
there was a host of relatives, beautifully framed and 
too numerous to mention. 

The most impressive recollection of the Queen's 
bedroom to me was that huge crucifix which hung 
immediately over Her Majesty's pillow. It indi- 
cated the glorious or melancholy fact that she was 
queen "By the Grace of God." Many wonder- 
fully happy, and many tearful nights, Her Majesty 
must have passed in the shadow of this crucifix. 

Queen Alexandra, like most of her royal ances- 
try, was a strict church-goer. Her influence upon 
her own children in this respect was very great. I 
remember when Canon Duckworth awaited her 
wishes as to the music for the funeral of her son, 
the Duke of Clarence, she said to him: 

"His favourite hymn was 'Safe in the Arms of 
Jesus.' " 

Her Majesty was intensely feminine, as the fol- 
lowing anecdote will confirm. It was when she was 
Princess of Wales and was preparing to go to Ber- 
lin to assist at the funeral ceremony of Kaiser 
Friedrich. I was summoned to Marlborough 
House to be there in case any advice was needed in 
some crisis concerning the gowns of Her Royal 
—204— 



KING EDWARD'S RULE 

Highness. The scene is as vivid to me to-day as 
then. 

The train was already waiting for the royal trav- 
ellers at Victoria Station. Her Royal Highness 
was busy, applying those last touches that every 
woman seems to think of only at the last minute, 
when the Prince of Wales opened the door of the 
room. I can see him, as he stepped back in amaze- 
ment, when he saw that the princess was wearing a 
cloak which had no crepe trimming. It appeared, 
though I shall never believe it, that Her Royal 
Highness didn't know that it was necessary for her 
to wear crepe. 

"But, my dear," remonstrated His Royal High- 
ness, very gently, "it is essential." 

Speedily my acolytes were sent hurrying to my 
house, and when they returned with the crepe we 
sewed it on the cloak, while Her Highness patiently 
stood up. I shall never forget the charming pres- 
ence of the late Duke of Clarence (Cuffs and Col- 
lars, as he was called) . He was leaning on the man- 
telpiece, doing his best to be formally solemn, to 
suppress his laughter. I think we all of us in the 
room only managed to keep serious with the great- 
est difficulty. And yet, the beautiful princess 

-—205— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

seemed serenely unconscious that she was keeping 
anybody waiting. 

It was at Marlborough House, during the Jubi- 
lee of Queen Victoria, that I first met the late 
Czar of all the Russias. I was going upstairs to 
Her Royal Highness' apartment, when at a very 
narrow point in the corridor I met a young gentle- 
man. There was scarcely room for us to pass, and 
he had to squeeze himself up against the wall. Upon 
seeing me, he took his cigarette from his lips, lifted 
his hat, and passed on. When I got upstairs I told 
them how I had met Prince George, as the present 
King of England was then called. 

"Oh dear no, dear Madame," I was told. "It 
was the Czarevitch, the future Emperor of Russia." 

As every one knows, there is a striking resem- 
blance between King George of England and the 
Czar of Russia, who are cousins. He impressed me 
as a very charming youth, very modest in demean- 
our, and very cordial. My first impression of him 
was that of a young, unostentatious college boy, 
who was up in London for the holidays; and yet, 
there was something of a grand air about him, a 
mysterious suggestion of his future destiny. I 
wonder if he still remembers, this Czar of all the 
Russias, those sweet pastoral days in England, so 
—206— 



KING EDWARD'S RULE 

void of care and sorrow. At any rate, the dress- 
maker has not forgotten his gracious bow. He can- 
not have forgotten those delightful days in Lon- 
don, although momentous times have supervened, 
distress and horror have pursued him. Does the 
youth subconsciously remember his own delightful 
personality of those early days in London, or has 
he really become a hard and unrelenting monarch? 
I wonder, for the impression I derived of him was 
truly a very adorable one. 

I am doing my best to gather up the threads of 
all these brilliant memories of former years method- 
ically, trying not to slip any incidents, no matter 
how small and unimportant they appeared at the 
time. 



-20T— 



CHAPTER X 

HIS MAJESTY'S LAST AFFAIR OF THE HEART 

During those hours of morbid retrospection, in 
which kings and commoners equally indulge, His 
Majesty King Edward VII found solace in a new 
adherent to fill the void which the beautiful Count- 
ess of W. had left. This favourite of the court be- 
gan her comet-like career with brilliant notoriety. 
She was not beautiful, she was tall, well formed, 
and, history says, was particularly proud of her 
limbs. She was somewhat younger than the Count- 
ess of W. People described her as a woman of fine 
stature, and attractive person. She had a great 
deal of spirit, she was daring, and whatever she un- 
dertook she carried out with considerable caution 
and perseverance. 

In her relation with the king she was stubborn, 
sometimes presumptuous, faults that are almost in- 
separable from a sudden rise to fortune, from com- 
parative poverty. 

In her earlier career Mrs. G. K. was very poor 
—208— 



HIS MAJESTY'S LAST HEART AFFAIR 

indeed. I knew her when her first baby was born, 
and she lived modestly in Wilton Crescent. No one 
would have dreamed then that she could ever reach 
her exalted station, if you like to call it such. I re- 
call that she sent over to me one morning, with an 
order for some tea gowns. Naturally I was re- 
luctant, knowing that she could hardly afford my 
prices. However, a certain lady M., who was then 
Miss Teresa V., told me that she would be respon- 
sible, and I sent a very pretty lace gown with pale 
blue ribbon. In later years, this court favourite 
could pay almost three figures for her gowns, when 
in former times one figure was too much. Being 
Scotch, she was naturally of a saving disposition, 
and therefore amassed a goodly fortune which she 
takes great care of. I heard that she was provided 
with twelve thousand pounds a year, but, of course, 
this is only rumour. 

The royal favour mounted to her head like wine, 
tilted her balance for a downward trend. His Maj- 
esty showered all kinds of presents upon the new 
star. She was nearly always with him. There was 
a certain insolence in the way in which she endeav- 
oured to usurp His Majesty. She dressed very 
well, her favourite colour being blue. She claimed 
to be an authority on certain theories of dress. 

—209— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Those who looked on at this thriving romance, 
realised that the impatient spirit of the new favour- 
ite was little fitted to brook the devious endearments 
of the sovereign. There were lovesick quarrels and 
reconciliations in which the king indulged at times. 
These mimic comedies of forgiveness gave ample 
food for the cynics, and laughter for the superficial. 
When in Biarritz, the favourite often went to His 
Majesty's private sitting room. If for some reason 
or other His Majesty's confidential valet would not 
always allow her to enter, she made a scene, shed 
tears of exasperation. 

There were times of mimic remorse, when she 
often declared that she would rather give every- 
thing up than continue to be talked about, than 
lead her life in the society of the king, which made 
her intoxicated with the audacity of power. 

She was never entirely contented because there 
were always limitations to her ambitions, and she 
foresaw them. She was always demanding new 
proofs of his devotion to her. She feared always 
the loss of a certain prestige which her relations 
appeared to give her. She had a good brain, and 
would have interfered in affairs of state. In fact, 
she was constantly repeating to the king certain im- 
portant facts which she pretended to have heard. 
—210— 




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CERTIFICATE GRANTED BY PRINCESS MARY ADELAIDE, DUCHESS OF TECK 
Her Royal Highness, the late Duchess of Teck, called by the Baroness "the 
most charming, genial, gracious and lovable of all royal ladies," mother of 
Queen Marie, appointed the author to receive the Royal Warrant ; and intro- 
duced her as "the great artiste," into the Duchess' Salon, the night of an 
historical ball at Devonshire House, when the Duchess was gowned as the 
Electrice of Hanover in a creation of the author's. 



HIS MAJESTY'S LAST HEART AFFAIR 

She wanted always to be present at the most im- 
portant moments of His Majesty's life, and perhaps 
he was conscious of a certain feline streak in her 
character, because he always banished her, ignored 
her, when matters of state were discussed. On these 
occasions she endured the refinement of humiliation. 

She was a very calculating woman, and she no 
doubt had tremendous aspirations towards the 
throne. Of course, there is no bed of roses without 
thorns, and in her long talks with the king there 
were thorny moments. 

I saw some of the presents she received by royal 
favour, and they were lovely gifts. She had a 
brooch set with a crown of diamonds, a necklace of 
magnificent round pearls. She always wore a dia- 
mond maltese cross and an eagle in diamonds and 
emeralds. One of her most precious royal trinkets, 
was a bracelet with the king's portrait set in dia- 
monds. Her tailored gowns were always perfect, 
and on horseback her figure showed to great ad- 
vantage. 

Her house in Grosvenor Square displayed per- 
fect taste, and her first reception there at the house- 
warming was a great success. I believe her eldest 
daughter was presented as a debutante to London 
society. Her husband, who was a brother of the 

—211— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Earl of Albemarle, after a prolonged stay in 
America, went in for art decorations. 

I remember travelling to England from Paris, 
seeing her at the station. There was a fearful 
crush, and everybody was trying to get to their 
seats. Suddenly this lady rushed by, pushing every- 
body aside, in great excitement to reach her car- 
riage. Her arrogant demeanour was very much 
criticised. Following her, was a tall footman, car- 
rying her dressing-case and jewel-box. 

"Hurry, please, hurry," she said very loudly. "I 
must reach London this evening, my appointment 
with His Majesty allows of no delay." 

The passengers smiled cynically at the audacity 
of her remark, at least at the bad taste. 

It was a difficult position, and sometimes she 
turned to her own pleasures to escape the irritation 
of her master's petulant society. It was not aston- 
ishing that the nervous tension weighed upon her, 
and that she sometimes became fractious to a de- 
gree. His Majesty was approaching the maturity 
of years, and people often asked themselves what 
would become of her, when His Majesty died. They 
wondered if he would bequeath to her some power 
after his death. 

Pro tern, she decided to provide against evil days 
—212— 



HIS MAJESTY'S LAST HEART AFFAIR 

by saving her money. Naturally, among His Maj- 
esty's intimate friends she had not missed fire en- 
tirely, for she was very vain, and still resplendent. 
There arose complications sometimes which were 
distracting because of her domestic embarrassments, 
which she usually appeared to prefer. ( She was a 
woman who was immured in the hour of diplo- 
macy.) If she was disturbed, it was usually pre- 
tence, a post for a substantial pretext. She knew 
how vacillating the king was at times, and when his 
weaknesses appeared to jeopardise her power, she 
would wait until the affair had blown over. She 
learned to show no jealousy, and her interviews with 
His Majesty after an apparent lapse of devotion, 
artfully made her appear more august. It required 
all the skill of her clever brain to hide the diminu- 
tion of her credit with the king from the public. 
Yet her devotion was unflinching, there was some- 
thing in it that quelled even her changeable mood. 
She was so constantly with His Majesty that she 
was cynically referred to as the obstinate moth, who 
wished to burn her wings thoroughly, not merely 
singe them. Obviously they were very congenial, 
these two, for she was versatile in her mind, had a 
ready, spirituelle wit; and the hours they wiled 
away, sitting upon the rocks, close to the blue wa- 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

ters at Biarritz, must have been very delightful. 
She would assiduously tuck him up with rugs so 
that he would run no risk of catching cold, and re- 
late to him the latest court scandal. Passersby 
could hear the gay laughter of His Majesty at the 
wit of some little piquant story told him. 

But all things must come to an end. Had His 
Majesty lived longer, I think the idyl would have 
ended, for a new star was appearing even then upon 
the hemisphere of His Majesty's romance. She was 
the lovely American actress whom he was beginning 
to admire, and all sorts of rumours were beginning 
to be discussed about her at the clubs. 

It was towards the end of King Edward's reign, 
that the function of being presented at court be- 
came singularly important. It had always been so, 
but somehow or other the Drawing Rooms at Buck- 
ingham Palace became the aim and ambition of 
every social aspirant who came to London. To be 
presented at the English court immediately opened 
a wide and wonderful social future, for it meant an 
entree to any foreign court in the world. 

The Drawing Rooms held in the early spring 

were the most beautiful because the weather was 

fine, the court dresses chosen were more brilliantly 

beautiful, the flowers were fresh, and every one was 

—214— 



HIS MAJESTY'S LAST HEART AFFAIR 

jubilant and happy. On these occasions the whole 
of London and the suburbs emptied into the Mall 
to stare at the grandes dames and the young girls 
as they drove by in their gorgeous turnouts towards 
the palace. The coachmen and footmen always 
wore huge bouquets upon their liveries. There were 
flowers attached to the horses' heads, the silver and 
gold harnesses were sumptuous. Then there was a 
procession of the different ambassadors in their 
respective gorgeous uniforms, all of which made a 
big show for the crowds. It was customary for 
friends to approach the carriage windows when, as 
often happened, the procession of carriages was 
blocked. These little chats and flirtations at the 
open carriage windows relieved the patient waiting 
sometimes for hours, before the palace portals were 
opened to let the privileged enter. The splendid 
band of the Life Guards played popular music in 
the palace yards. All these gorgeously dressed 
women, once they emerged from their carriages, lost 
all reserve of manner, and became nothing but a 
swell mob, pushing and struggling with each other 
in the ante-rooms. There was a wooden barrier so 
arranged, held by the ushers, that could allow only 
so many ladies to pass in. The rooms and the stair- 
cases of the palace were filled with gorgeous flunk- 

—215— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

ies wearing the royal red liveries, a remnant of the 
Georges, who politely and ceremoniously conducted 
these ladies into the dressing-rooms, where maids 
took care of their wraps and gave them other assist- 
ance. 

Their Majesties entered the throne room from a 
side staircase, preceded by Lord Dundonald, the 
Gold- Stick-in- Waiting, the Silver-Stick-in-Wait- 
ing, the Master of the Horse, the Duke of Portland, 
the Lord Marshal of Ceremonies, the late Duke 
of Norfolk. They walked backward, as gracefully 
as they could, in front of Their Majesties. Captain 
Godfrey's band played during the entire ceremony. 

Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII took 
their places on the golden throne chairs which stood 
on a red dais. Standing around them, were all the 
important royalties, and the Diplomatic Corps. 
The wives and daughters of these gentlemen en- 
joyed the privilege of a private entrance to the pal- 
ace, so that they should not mingle with the vulgar 
crowds. 

In former years it was discovered that certain 
society chaperones in London could secure the priv- 
ilege of a presentation at court for young girls, de- 
manding a considerable sum for it. These chaper- 
ones were usually titled ladies but not rich, and be- 
—216— 



HIS MAJESTY'S LAST HEART AFFAIR 

sides, in this way, adding to their income, the cha- 
perones' expenses for a court gown, the carriage 
and the flowers were all thrown in. I knew several 
of these ladies who really made a good bit out of 
it. This situation was finally quashed, when one of 
these titled chaperones found her name erased from 
the list of court entertainments, and the presenta- 
tion she had scheduled for an American lady was 
cancelled. 

These functions were of great importance, and 
the preparation for them cost a little fortune for 
the outfit. I have made court gowns for from one 
hundred to five hundred guineas, and more. They 
always required costly embroidery, furs, laces. I 
used some of the most superb heirlooms of a 
ducal house in laces, which were over many hun- 
dred years old. If the lace was ripped from the 
gown, after the dress had been used, it was sent 
to Exeter, an old Cathedral town, to be restored. 
In Exeter lived a family of old lace-makers who 
had plied their trade for generations. They were 
experts, and they could reconstruct any lace, re- 
storing it to its original pattern. I have had in 
my lace-safe over sixty thousand pounds' worth at 
one time. 

The elder ladies, by special permission, were per- 

—217— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

mitted to wear lappets with their three feathers 
worn in the hair, but the younger women were com- 
pelled to have the regulation veil of tulle, trailing 
four yards long from the shoulders. One of the 
amusing incidents of my fitting rooms was when 
I had to see if these ladies in their new court gowns 
could courtesy and walk backwards in them with- 
out falling. The trains of the court gowns were 
very long, and it was the custom for the Lords-in- 
Waiting to throw these trains over the lady's left 
arm when she had finished her bow to royalty, to 
avoid confusion. I do not imagine that anywhere 
in the world one could find a more gorgeous spec- 
tacle than these English court Drawing Rooms. 



—218- 



CHAPTER XI 

SOME BEAUTIES OF KING EDWARD'S REIGN 

What wonderful, stately beauties those women 
of King Edward's court were! Such women as 
Georgina, the Countess of Dudley, the late Coun- 
tess of Dalhousie, the late Duchess of Leinster, 
Lady Lonsdale, Marchioness of Ripon, the Coun- 
tess of Londesborough, and many others. 

The close relations between the German House 
of Hanover and the English ruling blood is well 
known. I recall that Her Royal Highness, the 
Princess Fredericka of Hanover, who became 
Baroness von Pavel-Rammingen, came to me and 
ordered her coronation gown. She was a superb 
woman, with a perfect figure, and glorious white 
hair. She was pronounced the most regal-looking 
woman at the coronation ceremonies of King Ed- 
ward VII. Her presence at that time was regarded 
with a great deal of pride by the British, for her 
imperial carriage made her tower over all the other 
royal ladies present. She was the daughter of the 

—219— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

blind King of Hanover, and inherited much of her 
beauty from her mother, who was the beautiful 
Princess of Altenburg. Her royal parents were at 
that time among the richest reigning sovereigns. 
Her brother was the Duke of Cumberland, a royal 
Prince of the House of England, who married 
Princess Thyra of Denmark, sister of Queen Alex- 
andra. Before the great cataclysm of war hap- 
pened in Europe, the Duke of Cumberland was 
recognised as the head of the House of Guelph. 
The marriage of Princess Fredericka of Hanover 
was a romantic affair, and a love match. I believe, 
however, it was not very much approved by her 
family. She was a great friend of my late husband, 
who, like herself, had been brought up at the blind 
King of Hanover's Court. 

The opportunity which King Edward's leniency 
of taste in fashion gave the dressmakers of his reign, 
inspired me to create some odd effects. For in- 
stance, I accomplished a startling gown novelty 
which was worn by Queen Alexandra at the Ascot 
races. It was a costume made of Turkish towelling. 
I also created for Her Majesty some brown Hol- 
land gowns profusely trimmed with velvet. Women 
of fashion were surprised at the audacity of these 
combinations, and some women were surprised at 
—220— 



BEAUTIES OF KING EDWARDS REIGN 

the prices of these gowns. I recall that Mrs. H. 
Oppenheim, the wife of a rich English banker, who 
frequently entertained King Edward when he was 
Prince of Wales, objected to the price of a cotton 
frock, profusely intermixed with linen embroidery. 
The price of the frock was sixty-five guineas, and 
it staggered her. 

"But, my dear," she said to me, "this is only a 
cotton frock after all." 

"Yes, Madame, but it is a Frederic frock," I said. 

These moods of economy, however, among the 
beautiful women of this period were very rare. 
Many of them were quite grateful for my assist- 
ance. 

I recall an occasion when a very beautiful girl, 
daughter of a descendant of Elizabeth Fry, went 
to the races in one of my frocks, and there met her 
husband, who declared it was love at first sight. 
He was then Lord Elcho, now the Earl of Wey- 
mis. She always declared it was my frock that did 
it. I can see her now, a dark, slender beauty, wear- 
ing that gown of terra cotta cloth, with revers of 
reseda velvet. Hat en suite, of course. Her sister 
was Pamela Wyndham, daughter of the Honour- 
able Percy Wyndham, and niece of Lord Lecon- 
field. In after years, with her two lovely sisters, Mrs. 

—221— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Adeane and Lady Tennant, the three who have 
been mentioned in an earlier chapter as "The Three 
Graces" were immortalised in a painting by the 
famous American artist, Sargent. I clothed these 
three girls before they were married, — it seems only 
yesterday — yet I am now confronted with the pres- 
ence of their marriageable daughters. They are 
not quite so beautiful as their mothers were. Na- 
ture does not reproduce as accurately as one could 
wish, but perhaps that is because I helped to make 
their mothers look lovely, a bit of conceit upon my 
part, yet one that is, I feel, nevertheless true. 
However, truth is perhaps not always appreciated, 
but I feel that Mr. Balfour did, for he has not 
changed his lifelong devotion to the Honourable 
Mrs. Percy .Wyndham, the lovely mother of "The 
Three Graces." 

It was my custom to study my gowns and my 
clients as a painter studies the composition of his 
picture, as Gainsborough did, or Hoppner did. 
There was once an idea, a horrible tradition, that a 
brunette should always wear brilliant orange, crim- 
son, or bright green. Carlos Duran reversed all 
this by advocating these colours for blondes, hence 
his marvellous pictures, when for instance in later 
years, he painted the portrait of the late Countess 
—222— 



BEAUTIES OF KING EDWARDS REIGN 

Dalhousie, one of the most beautiful women of her 
time, and the lovely Duchess of Leinster. The 
sudden death of the Earl of Dalhousie, who was 
taken ill on board his yacht, was the beginning of 
the end of this beautiful woman. In some mysteri- 
ous way, for some tragic reason unexplained, the 
beautiful woman, the Countess Dalhousie, died only 
one week later. 

I remember her very well, with her Madonna 
face. She was a tall, graceful woman, and as in 
the celebrated painting by Carlos Duran, I remem- 
ber seeing her in her gown of dead rose-leaf shade, 
of which she was very fond. She was a superb 
personality. 

The Duchess of Leinster, and the blond duke, 
her husband, did not see their sons grow to man- 
hood. The Duchess of Leinster was really the 
prototype of a Grecian goddess. She was the 
daughter of another celebrated beauty, the Coun- 
tess of Faversham, who created a sensation wher- 
ever she went. Also, the man with the scythe is 
no respecter of persons. 

This day of tall, long limbed English beauties, 
which Du Maurier immortalised in his sketches for 
Punch, was indeed rich and inspiring for the dress- 
maker. No one who ever saw the beautiful Count- 

—223— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

ess of Dudley, whose marriage to the eccentric 
Lord Dudley was one of the extravagances of 
London life, where so many poor but deserving 
beauties have sacrificed themselves upon the altar of 
Mammon, can ever forget her. She was one of the 
proud MontcriefFs, one of three sisters who were all 
equally beautiful, tall, regal. There was a very 
great difference between the ages of the enormously 
wealthy Lord Dudley and the very beautiful Count- 
ess of Dudley. She reigned supreme over Dudley 
House on Park Lane, in London, where she fre- 
quently had the honour of entertaining the King 
and Queen, and all the brilliant society of the Court. 
Georgina, Countess of Dudley, will go down to 
history as one of those famous women whom King 
Edward VII admired. She was very tall, patrician 
in feature and manner, and wore the most sumptu- 
ous and glorious clothes. Her beauty of course was 
of the statuesque type, with magnificent hair, and 
the carriage of an empress. She was one of the most 
elegant and most extravagant women of her time. 
Pier lingerie and all her personal accessories were 
proverbially envied. Her house was full of the 
finest collection of portraits and objets d'art, and 
every one was only too anxious to be invited to her 
receptions. When the famous sapphires which 
—224— 



BEAUTIES OF KING EDWARD'S REIGN 

every one in London had seen or heard about were 
stolen from her, she never by word or action be- 
trayed the effect of this great loss. Her pride was 
unparalleled, and her soirees and balls were like 
royal occasions. Among her greatest admirers was 
Cecil Rhodes, the famous South African king, and 
it was no secret in London that the Kaiser de- 
lighted in her presence. As the years went by they 
seemed to pass the Countess of Dudley unimpres- 
sively. She never seemed to change, or fade, or 
radiate any the less, as she grew older. The two 
sisters of the Countess of Dudley, Lady Mordaunt 
and the Duchess of Athole, were equally handsome 
women. With their sister, the Countess of Dudley, 
they were always referred to in London, before 
their marriage, as "the perfect trio." The late Lady 
Mordaunt was for a long time an invalid. The 
Duchess of Athole, like her sister, the Countess of 
Dudley, enjoys all the privileges of being a society 
favourite in London. 

The list of regal women who were the court fa- 
vourites of King Edward VII and Queen Alexan- 
dra is far too long to complete in so brief a chron- 
icle of the times as this one. A few of them, how- 
ever, established a personal influence in my life, and 
therefore are more vividly remembered. 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

The beautiful Lady Lonsdale, for instance, who 
is now the Marchioness of Ripon, was one of the 
intimate friends of the Queen. Naturally, the act 
of gowning these aristocratic women was an occupa- 
tion which inspired romantic possibilities. If the 
fame of an English beauty could be improved by 
a stunning frock, then the romantic career of that 
beauty had been somewhat inspired by Frederic. 
Lady Lonsdale had an instinct for exquisite gown- 
ing, but I may take the credit of stirring the ro- 
mantic instincts of the late Duke of Albany, with 
a tea gown I made for Her Ladyship. He was a 
bachelor, and admired her from the moment he saw 
her in this creation. It was a tea gown of moire 
crepe de clnme, with an overdress of finest Bruges 
lace, transparent, with touches of turquoise blue. 
It was a very becoming combination to the marvel- 
lous beauty of Lady Lonsdale. The Duke of Al- 
bany was a bachelor, and this tea gown "bowled 
him over." 

Lady Lonsdale at this time lived in a charming 
little house in Brook Street, London. It was ex- 
cellently and daintily arranged. Her boudoir and 
bedroom were lined with real lace over turquoise 
blue. Her toilet set was also turquoise and gold. 
Low cushion-like settees which furnished the room 
—226— 



BEAUTIES OF KING EDWARD'S REIGN 

were also in pale blue brocades. The rest of the 
furniture was of white ivory, and in huge vases 
bunches of white syringa and violets filled the rooms 
with perfume. 

To-day she is the Marchioness of Ripon, and 
though her hair is snow-white, she is as greatly ad- 
mired as in former years. 

One would rather expect to find a predominance 
of Saxon types among the beautiful women of this 
period, but as a matter of fact they were rare. 

The striking blonde beauty of the Countess of 
Londesborough established her reputation among 
these wonderful women of King Edward's court. 
The Countess of Londesborough had a most unique 
way of dressing. She would drape a piece of real 
lace and some oriental material around her lovely 
shoulders, put on one of those picture hats which 
only our English women know how to wear (for 
confirmation see Gainsborough's pictures), and she 
would become the cynosure of all eyes. To-day, her 
daughter, Lady Dennison, who is engaged to a 
prince royal, is one of the most active and loyal 
women workers for the wounded, in fact for the 
entire cause, in London. 

I do not believe there is any European Court in 
the twentieth century which could boast of such a 

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LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

complex magnitude of loveliness among women as 
the Court of King Edward VII properly claimed. 
Their types of beauty were unrivalled, — their com- 
plexions, their glorious hair, their figures, — all in- 
spired the artist's vision of the dressmaker. 

The wealth of laces that passed through my hands 
during this period would beggar description. Fre- 
quently I was anxious for the intrinsic value of the 
laces and jewels that were entrusted to my care 
during the making of gowns. I particularly re- 
member a study in black and white which I made 
for the Princess Alexis Dologorouki. I had to have 
special watchmen in my studios, to carefully guard 
the diamonds and laces used in the creation of this 
gown. Their value represented a colossal sum. 



—228— 



CHAPTER XII 

PERSONAL ANECDOTES OF QUEEN MARY 

Those first days of my career as court dress- 
maker in London were always sustained by a firm 
knowledge that I understood the point of view of 
those aristocratic women whose aristocracy was 
based on the high ideals of character. It has not 
fallen to the lot of many dressmakers to have been 
able to have gowned so many queens and other royal 
women as I have had the honour to do. My port- 
folio is filled with the most charming appreciative 
epistles from them. The letters are too numerous 
to enumerate. I have selected only a few for re- 
production here. Obviously, they are one and all 
equally precious to me, though I have a feeling that 
the regard which Her Majesty Queen Mary has so 
often graciously expressed, is perhaps a little closer 
to my heart. 

I have known Her Majesty since she was quite 
a young girl. In her mode of dressing her taste 
was always conservative, never extreme, never loud 

—229— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

or conspicuous. Her favourite colours were always 
pale rose and pale blues. Sometimes, in later years, 
white or black predominated. 

I had the honour of making her bridesmaids' 
dresses. The mere mention of their names seems to 
conjure up strange influences that should have 
maintained an everlasting peace in Europe. They 
were such sweet princesses, such sensible girls, these 
embryonic Queens of Europe. 

I can see them as they were at this royal wed- 
ding of Queen Mary to King George, looking for- 
ward to their own careers with the usual reserve and 
excitement of any bridesmaids. 

They were the young Princesses Victoria and 
Maud of England, the Danish Princesses, Thyra 
and Ertrude; then there was the daughter of Her 
Royal Highness, the Duchess of Albany, now the 
Princess of Battenberg, and the little Princess Ena, 
now the Queen of Spain. They were a most irre- 
sistible bouquet of rosebuds, simple, very chaste- 
looking in their white peaw de soie, carrying bunches 
of deep crimson geraniums, which suited them to 
perfection. Each Princess, daintily and with meas- 
ured steps, walked behind the then Duchess of 
York, the bride, the present Queen Mary of Eng- 
land. Princess Victoria was very stately; she car- 
—230— 



ANECDOTES OF QUEEN MARY 

ried herself with perfect poise. She was of the 
spirituelle type, and by disposition very amiable. 
The Princess Maud, now the Queen of Norway, 
was very petite, piquant, full of the joy of living, 
as she tripped along in this wonderful procession 
with the little Danish Princesses. These latter, 
perhaps not having imbibed the full freedom of an 
English Court, were a trifle timid and overwhelmed 
with the splendour of the event, yet they were 
charming girls. The younger Princesses, mere 
children then, were Princess Ena, now Queen of 
Spain, and the little daughter of Her Royal High- 
ness, the Duchess of Albany. I remember that 
they strongly objected to wearing decollete gowns 
at all, and I had to use great discretion and tact 
with them. In the intervening years these charm- 
ing girls of royal blood have scattered over Eu- 
rope. I wonder if in the midst of the present tur- 
moil they remember those lovely times, if they feel 
at all sad. How they must realise in these remem- 
brances that the world, even for royal princesses 
and queens, is not all coleur de rose! 

It has been my privilege to know Her Majesty 
Queen Mary since she was a child, and in all those 
years, her graciousness, her unbounded cordiality, 
her kindness, will be like a beacon light showing 

—231— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

me back to the land of my adoption. I had the 
honour of making Her Majesty's coronation gown 
of white satin duchesse embroidered in gold cilisee, 
in return for which she paid me the compliment of 
sending me her autographed portrait, that I might 
never forget how beautiful she looked. When I 
went for the last glimpse of this beautiful gown, 
Her Majesty put on her crown of diamonds, so 
that I could see her in all her glory. It was a 
unique experience, but then I had many extraor- 
dinary favours shown me by these exclusive, royal 
women, that I shall always regard as tokens of per- 
sonal character. It was my good fortune when 
Her Majesty went to India to make nearly all her 
toilettes, and I had great difficulty in some meas- 
ure, as I could not use any tarnishable trimmings 
or fabrics that would not stand the climatic influ- 
ences. 

Her Majesty usually received me courteously, 
graciously, and more or less formally. She has al- 
ways been overpoweringly kind, and should these 
lines find their way to her, Queen Mary of England 
will see that notwithstanding that I am an exile 
in a strange land, I am a loyal and devoted sub- 
ject of Great Britain. 

My memories of Queen Mary ran into such ador- 
—232— 



ANECDOTES OF QUEEN MARY 

able and delightful channels, that I hardly know 
where to begin with incident and anecdote that 
will confirm my adoration of her. 

I remember one day when nty business with her 
at the palace was finished and I had nearly reached 
the ante-chamber, the footman called me back. 

"Her Majesty would very much like to see you." 

I thought, naturally, it was upon the business 
upon which I had come to see her. When I re- 
turned, I found in her room an enormous basket of 
lilies-of-the-v alley which had just been sent to the 
Queen from the country. 

"Please take as many as you like, my dear, for 
your invalid husband," said Her Majesty. 

One Saturday afternoon, after business hours, 
my private telephone was ringing. My secretary 
having left, I spoke on the telephone myself. 

"Who is it?" 

"Could Madame Frederic come over to Bucking- 
ham Palace at once, to see the Queen on a private 
matter?" 

"Of course, I shall be with Her Majesty as soon 
as possible," I said. 

When I arrived at the palace, Lady Bertha Daw- 
kins, one of the sweetest, most loyal, and most lov- 
able women one could imagine, told me that Her 

—233^ 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Majesty would like to consult me upon a rather 
difficult matter. The ladies of Ireland had pro- 
posed to send Her Majesty some of their beautiful 
home-made Irish crochet and lace offerings. Her 
Majesty graciously asked would I help her to 
choose these laces. Being known more or less as an 
expert, Her Majesty assumed that I might suggest 
something new. 

"Would Her Majesty like a lace train, made up 
to hang as a Dalmatian mantle, from the shoul- 
ders?" I asked. 

"Excellent idea, my dear, you have it cut out 
and we will send it to Ireland," said Her Majesty. 

It took nearly six months to complete it, but it 
was beautifully executed, and I had the honour 
of making it up over the most delicate rose col- 
oured chiffon royale, and Her Majesty wore it on 
a very important occasion. To many people roy- 
alty seems so far removed from normal conditions, 
that when they do behave quite normally, as any 
other person, the majority can scarcely believe that 
it is true. In this country, such a condition was 
thought to be impossible, but you still have tradi- 
tions in the making. In Europe, if a Queen gra- 
ciously invites her subject not to stand, shakes her 
cordially by the hand, and asks many every-day 
—234— 



ANECDOTES OF QUEEN MARY 

questions, notwithstanding one may come as a "per- 
son in trade," it is very unusual. That such an 
event occurred to me, is therefore perhaps interest- 
ing to recall. 

Her Majesty Queen Mary, — perhaps through 
force of habit, — having seen me continually since 
she was a child, on one occasion gave me a delight- 
ful surprise of this character. It was when she was 
Princess of Wales and was living at York House. 
I had been on my feet fitting Her Royal Highness 
with twenty-two gowns, and I was tired and hun- 
gry. That didn't matter, but possessing the traits of 
a charming manner, the Princess suddenly dropped 
all royal etiquette, and invited me to share an im- 
provised lunch with her. I was at first very much 
embarrassed. A footman brought in upon a tray 
of silver, served in exquisite silver cups, some jel- 
lied chicken. I can even now inhale the aroma of 
that delicious food, of the cold dainties, and the lit- 
tle accessories, which made a most enjoyable meal. 
Her Majesty, then Princess of Wales, was inclined 
to be very jocular in conversation, sometimes a 
little cynical, yet very witty. She made me laugh 
at her observations in general upon subjects which 
did not apply to the dressmaker's art at all. To re- 
peat the conversation would be unbecoming of the 

—235— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

privilege I enjoyed, but it left the impression not 
usually understood of the present Queen of Eng- 
land, of a very witty, worldly, democratic woman. 

While my memory dwells upon the personality 
of this delightful Queen, I recall a meeting at the 
Zoological Gardens in London, where I went with 
my late husband and my grandnieces, like every- 
body else, to see the elephants. We had no sooner 
entered than we saw Her Royal Highness, the 
Princess of Wales, accompanied by Lady Eva 
Dugdale, also deeply interested in the elephants. 

I bowed ceremoniously, and Her Royal High- 
ness graciously turned to me. 

"Present me to your husband," she said. Pie 
stood at attention, saluted, and conversed with her. 

"Who are these dear little girls?" asked the Prin- 
cess. 

"My grandnieces," I replied. 

Her Royal Highness shook hands with these chil- 
dren, and, of course, they never forgot it, nor does 
any one else ever forget the honour of shaking 
hands with a Queen. 

Her Majesty Queen Mary was always very ten- 
der-hearted and punctiliously considerate of others. 

"My dear, why are you in mourning?" she asked 
me once. 

—236— 



ANECDOTES OF QUEEN MARY 

"My sister just lost her eldest boy, nineteen years 
of age, at college," I said. 

"How very sad! Pray convey to your sister how 
I feel for her, and how very sorry I am for her. 
Please do not forget," said Her Majesty. 

In times of real sorrow, or grief, or trouble to 
others, Queen Mary has always been kindness it- 
self. Her exalted rank was an unforeseen destiny. 
As a girl, Her Majesty was brought up with great 
care and economy, and her young days were not 
those of unalloyed happiness and wealth. The 
household of the Queen's late parents was not at 
all extravagant, in fact it was very simple. Her 
Governess, the late Madame Brica, was of Polish 
extraction, and she gave Princess Mary of Teck a 
very sound education. The Queen speaks French 
and German brilliantly. Most of her lessons were 
supervised by her father, the late Duke of Teck. 
The late Madame Brica was an intimate friend of 
the psychic, the late Mrs. Morgan Richards, the 
mother of the brilliant Mrs. Pearl Craigie, the nov- 
elist who wrote under the nom de plume of Oliver 
Hobbs. It was through Mrs. Richards that I be- 
came known to the late Duchess of Teck. In her 
own picturesque way, it was Mrs. Morgan Richards 
who predicted that Princess Mary of Teck would 

—237— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

become Queen of England. The incident at which 
this prediction was made, in the home of the Duke 
of Teck, savoured of the occult, but Mrs. Morgan 
Richards was, I believe, a spiritualist. 

It was just after the late Duke of Clarence, to 
whom Princess Mary was betrothed, had passed 
away at such an early age, when the chances that 
she would become Queen of England were very re- 
mote. In the presence of the Princess Mary and 
her family, the late Mrs. Morgan Richards de- 
picted in her flowery way the future of the Queen. 

"I see," said Mrs. Richards, "the clouds are 
rolling away. I see a huge crown which comes 
nearer and nearer, behold it falls into the lap of 
the young Princess Mary. I predict that she will 
become Queen of England." 

When Prince George proposed and was ac- 
cepted, Mrs. Morgan Richards' prediction came 
true. 

When the Princess Royal, Louise Victoria, be- 
came the Duchess of Fife, her trousseau was most 
generously and lavishly submitted by all the trades- 
people. Her mother, Queen Alexandra, at that 
time Princess of Wales, allotted a room for each 
firm to display their latest and newest modes. I 
remember so well, wandering with Her Royal 



ANECDOTES OF QUEEN MARY 

Highness, Princess of Wales, through all these 
rooms, where we saw the most beautiful fabrics of 
all tints of the rainbow. It was my privilege to 
make for the Princess Royal some pale blue mauve 
shell and white gowns. An Indian shawl which 
"Grandma" (Queen Victoria) had given, I con- 
verted into a charming mantelet. Its success was 
great, for the shawl by itself, notwithstanding its 
value, which ran into four figures, would never have 
appealed to a young girl had I not fashioned it 
into something graceful. After that, Indian shawls 
came to me galore, and so late as just before the 
outbreak of the present war I made of one a very 
lovely sorti de bat for Her Majesty Queen Mary. 
Relieved with cerise velvet, and fringed in all the 
Indian colours, it proved quite a success. 

Her Majesty Queen Victoria's preference for 
Indian shawls as wedding presents, was one of the 
standing humours of England during the last years 
of her reign. 



—239— 



CHAPTER XIII 

SOME BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN WOMEN IN 
ENGLAND 

As I approach the end of these scattered rem- 
iniscences, I find myself on the peaks of modernity, 
from which I have really been surveying the years 
gone by. It is only a little while ago, it seems, that 
I had the pleasure of meeting so many American 
women who came to England and married English 
titles. The American woman was an entirely new 
type to the English dressmaker. There was more 
of the French quality about her than one found in 
the purely Saxon beauties of England. As to the 
success of these marriages, the world has heard 
more or less remarkable circumstances. I have no 
special knowledge upon which to base an opinion 
as to the happiness of these international romances. 
It has been said that some of them contain the ro- 
mantic spice, or the sociological theme, so to say, of 
that famous and extraordinary story, ''Three 
Weeks." 

—240— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

The mention of this novel recalls an incident, 
when one very rainy night my butler announced the 
Honourable Mrs. Glyn, a Belgian lady, who was 
the wife of Bishop Glyn. We often used to chat 
in French, as our nieces were educated in the same 
private school in Westgate-on-Sea. 

There stood the Honourable Mrs. Glyn, and by 
her side, a slip of a girl, tall, graceful, more than 
usually oblivious of her peculiar type of beauty, 
smiling languidly, and bowing a little ceremoni- 
ously. The conversation naturally began in the 
stereotyped way about the weather, and as it was 
pouring torrents she deplored the fact of the ab- 
sence of an umbrella which she imagined she must 
have left at home. I often wonder how true the 
saying is that coming events cast their shadows be- 
fore, for this young genius standing there so 
quietly, so unassuming in her manner, really had 
then the power to make people look at her intensely. 
She created at once an atmosphere of curiosity and 
wonder. 

She was no ordinary slip of a girl. The fire of 
genius was alight already in her wonderful green- 
grey eyes, and apparently bored and apathetic, she 
took in every nook and corner of the room. Being 

—241— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

attracted by some gowns which were just being de- 
livered, she said: 

"Some day, when my ship comes in, I shall cer- 
tainly come to see you." 

She was, to say the least, poorly clad. 

"This is my daughter-in-law," said the Honour- 
able Mrs. Glyn, "my boy has just married her," 
and then in French she said, "without the consent 
of his parents." 

Really, I couldn't blame him, for the girl was a 
beautiful creature. There was a weirdness about 
her beauty that was mischievous, and yet she made 
a Madonna-like appeal. I gazed at her, wondering 
what the future of this strange girl might be. 

This was Elinor Glyn, who wrote "Three 
Weeks" and became famous. When I heard of it 
I was not astonished, for I still remembered how 
the hidden fires of her genius smouldered in her 
wonderful eyes, as she stood before me that night in 
her very shabby little gown, and her carefully 
mended gloves. 

I wonder if the famous writer remembers this lit- 
tle unimportant incident. I wonder if her good- 
looking mother-in-law still lives, for I have not seen 
her for many years. 

In this connection, I am reminded with equal in- 
—242— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

terest, when Mrs. Harcourt Williams, a journalist 
of prominence in London, urged me to meet a little 
woman whom she had discovered, — a Mrs. Wallace. 

"She is so pretty, and makes the most adorable 
blouses," said Mrs. Williams, "I think she is quite 
a genius." 

I never met her, but evidently she did have 
genius, for in later years, she became the famous 
dressmaker "Lucile," — Lady Duff-Gordon. 

Among the beautiful American women whom I 
knew was Consuelo, Duchess of Manchester. She 
was the lovely Miss Ysnaga of Baltimore, who in- 
herited her millions from her late brother. 

The Duchess of Manchester was unconventional 
in the sense that she was so democratic. She was 
no stickler for etiquette. I remember one Sunday, 
when we were boating on the river Thames, and had 
just paddled into a little side stream and had our 
lunch, there drifted in beside us, another small boat. 
They had lost their rudder, and my husband and 
I offered to pull them back into the broad water. 
Lady Mandeville, who was in the party, promptly 
turned around and asked me if they could share 
our little picnic lunch, as they were so very hungry. 
How we enjoyed this little incident, exciting for 
them, particularly interesting to us. Consuelo was 

—243— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

not so very rich then, and her aristocratic mother- 
in-law inspired her with awe. She was very pretty, 
and her marriage with the Duke, or rather Lord 
"Manderville" as he was called by his cronies, for 
he was very fond of champagne, was an event. He 
died comparatively young, in the midst of his wild 
oats. His son married Miss Zimmerman of Cin- 
cinnati, but I believe he did not follow in the foot- 
steps of his father. Consuelo of Manchester was 
particularly fond of purple and black. Her skin 
was of a dazzling whiteness. She was quite tall, 
very graceful, but it seemed to me she was afflicted 
with perpetual motion. I believe it was a nervous 
affliction. She was a very great favourite of the 
Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra, and 
her untimely death, and the extraordinary decease 
of her two beautiful daughters, the Ladies Mon- 
tague, who were twins, and who both died in their 
teens, was a great shock to the Dowager Queen 
Alexandra. 

Mrs. Pierre Lorillard, nee Taylor, was another 
handsome American woman whom I knew. She 
was tall, slender, with masses of nut-brown hair. 
She was extremely dignified, very proud, rarely 
smiled, and always immaculate in her toilettes. For 
—244— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

my personal taste, she was too stiff. Her daugh- 
ters, I believe, do not resemble her in the least. 

Mrs. Ronalds Lorillard, petite and fair, whom I 
gowned while she was in London, was a very grace- 
ful and charming person, who affected a style in 
dress that was quite her own. Her little mother 
always insisted upon wearing a gown of grey and 
white, in simple Quaker style. I believe she was the 
second wife. Her husband often came with her 
from America, and we had long talks, compared 
notes on international questions. The recollection 
of my acquaintance with all these delightful Amer- 
ican men and women adds to the comfort of my 
transplanted life on your hospitable shores. 

"La Petite" Livingston, as Miss Livingston was 
called in London, was another American girl who 
appeared in London society. She was a perfect lit- 
tle Dresden china figure. Being an only daughter, 
and being brought up by a more than devoted fa- 
ther and uncle, I remember how anxious these gen- 
tlemen were that I should bestow upon her dear 
little person every possible attention, to give her 
the best and the most expensive to be had. Money 
was no object. I designed her wedding gown, 
which was of oyster white crystalline, in princess 
style, with an overdress of Buckinghamshire lace. 

—245— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

The veil was in tulle, falling over the whole gown, 
trimmed with myrtle and white lilacs. Her going- 
away dress (it was late autumn) was a sapphire 
blue velvet, the coat of which was trimmed with 
Peruvian chinchilla, with toque and muff to match. 
Her trousseau was a revelation, and she was so 
charmed that she sent me a beautiful brooch in the 
shape of a heart made of diamonds with a sapphire 
centre. It was a very sweet souvenir, and though 
many years have gone by, I cherish the memento. 

Those American girls of former times were in- 
tensely interesting because they were so clever. 
They absorbed everything so quickly, and they 
drifted so rapidly into the burning question of dress. 

In former years the fashionable rendezvous for 
many leaders in society was Paris. It was there 
that Mrs. Bayard Cutting and Mrs. Townsend 
Burden created a sensation among American 
women in their gowns made by Worth. Mrs. 
Townsend Burden, I believe, was a sister of the 
late Pierpont Morgan. These ladies adopted a 
very severe style, but were regarded as examples 
of grandes dames. 

Mrs. Van Rensselaer was also a key to good taste, 
she was always tone-giving, and was one of this 
—240— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

coterie in Paris who standardised American beauty 
in Europe. 

The extravagance of the American woman 
abroad often led to tragic consequences. I remem- 
ber a very celebrated and very famous American, 
who was the wife of an author. All Paris raved 
about her beauty, her style, her luxurious mode of 
life. Her carriages, her horses, her town house and 
her country house, were all very elegant. She was 
exclusively gowned by Worth, whose creations for 
her cost fabulous prices. She never seemed to count 
the cost. Then she fell in love with another man, 
her husband remonstrated, but — men are knaves 
and women are fools, and the old story seems for- 
ever new. The husband divorced her, and shortly 
afterwards died. Later, I saw this woman who 
almost wielded the sceptre of a queen, creeping 
along the Boulevards of Paris, when the lights were 
dim, a sorrowful object. She was soliciting alms 
of passers-by. She was truly a tragic spectacle, 
and yet she was once a queen among American 
women in Paris. 

The Princess Hatzfeld, formerly Miss Hunting- 
ton of California and now a widow, was one of the 
wealthy American women who made England her 
home, — her country. Her place was indeed a great 

—247— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

rendezvous for what we call on the other side, the 
"sporting set." Her husband kept a well-stocked 
stable of thoroughbreds, and the Princess was a very- 
good horsewoman. She dressed well, and looked 
very chic in her riding habit. In her earlier days 
the Prince used to assist her in choosing her gowns. 
I remember so well during a visit she made to my 
salons, how the prince himself chose for her a beau- 
tiful toilette of grey ardoise satin jjwpe, demi-train. 
The corsage was in pale rose velvet, with a broad 
black moire sash, edged with narrow black moire 
ribbons, and a jabot of real lace. 

Mrs. Hugh Hallket was one of the most beauti- 
ful creatures in her early youth, and even now, 
though she never gets up until sundown, she ap- 
pears almost as wonderful as Rider Haggard's 
"She." Before the war, the so-called Jeunesse 
d'oree used to rally round her in her home at the lit- 
tle Normandy watering-place, Dinard. She is 
famous for her dancing of those alluring Tzigane 
waltzes. She is really a modern Ninon de L'En- 
clos. Her mother remained young up to eighty, 
and the daughter decidedly follows in her footsteps. 
She is a brunette with wonderful blue eyes, a most 
graceful figure, which she still retains; she is won- 
derfully preserved, defying age and time with a 
—248— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

youthful spirit. Not at all grotesque, but very 
spirituelle. She is brilliantly educated, really a 
great musician, a painter and a sculptor. Her tal- 
ents are really phenomenal. She is unique, because 
although she has over-stepped the boundary line of 
three-score years and ten, she still holds a charm for 
youth that seems to pursue her everywhere. Her 
gowns, discreet, esthetic, are all her own inspira- 
tion, and I felt very much flattered when she wrote 
to me at London to send her one of my own ideas 
for a rest gown. It was in the palest shade of lilac 
crepe de chine, looped with huge cordelieres in 
deeper tones, flowing sleeves, no decolletage to 
speak of, which left everything to the imagination. 
"Princess Nellie," as Nellie Grant's friends used 
to call her, was one of the most beautiful Ameri- 
can girls imaginable. When she travelled with her 
father, the late President Grant, on his official trip 
through Europe, she was magnificently received at 
all the Courts. In England, she enjoyed the pres- 
tige permitted to royalty only, and I have often 
wondered how it was that she was satisfied to dis- 
appear from all this European grandeur. I believe 
it was a love match. Mr. Sartoris, her husband, I 
never met, but I could not understand how such a 
plain Lochinvar should win one of the most ador- 

—249— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

able girls I have ever seen. Her brother, the Amer- 
ican ambassador to Austria, was a very nice fel- 
low. I waltzed with him when he was a young man 
studying in New York. Her daughters gave 
grand parties, and they resembled their beautiful 
mother very much. One rarely sees such colouring 
as theirs. They were neither too tall nor too small, 
just the happy medium. They inherited the smile 
with which their mother captivated and fascinated 
the world at large. Like the modest violet, she 
preferred no doubt to shine in a little garden of 
her own, where the perfume of youth and the sweet- 
ness of her disposition could remain unspoiled and 
untarnished. My task in gowning her was there- 
fore a very easy and satisfactory one. I presume, 
if she ever should read these lines, she will remem- 
ber at one time being detained for hours at my salon 
in London, because she had missed a train and had 
to wait. How patient she was, and with what in- 
terest she listened to the many amusing conversa- 
tions which are carried on in a dressmaking estab- 
lishment. 

"I enjoyed this intermezzo immensely," she said 
as she was leaving, "what a wonderful existence. 
I almost envy you, such a perpetual kaleidoscope 
of interesting people," 
—250— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

Indeed she was right, the dressmaker's salon is 
where you see woman in all her weaknesses, her 
shortcomings, and her ambitions. 

Most of you will remember Edna May, and her 
triumph in "The Belle of New York." She became 
the ideal of all London before she married Mr. Os- 
car Lewisohn. Strawberry leaves and ducal crowns 
were laid at her feet, fortunes were offered to her, 
with a persistency that we shall never know. Yet 
this pretty little woman chose wisely and well. 

Her husband is still very much in love with her, 
she has changed very little, if at all, her sweet child- 
like smile hovers round her pretty mouth still. She 
prefers the old-fashioned taste, even to-day. The 
huge capes which our grandmothers admired be- 
come her; the voluminous furs in which she en- 
velops herself still hide her, and she still peeps out 
of them like a huge doll. I know she adores Eng- 
land, and her house in London, but her husband 
prefers it to New York. 

Mrs. Beach Grant was another of those beautiful 
American women. Her daughter, the present 
Countess of Essex, when she first came to London, 
had destiny willed it, could have been Lady Curzon, 
but I believe circumstances made her change her 
mind. She is a very great favourite in London so- 

—251— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

ciety, and is always well turned out. Her sister 
was the most brilliant beauty, married very young, 
and lost her husband very soon. I believe she be- 
longed to the French nobility. 

Mrs. Beach Grant told me once that in her youth 
she was never allowed any but milk foods, as she was 
suffering from heart disease. She is still hale and 
hearty, however. Her cousin, Mrs. Scott, who had a 
most tragic end in London, was a very exquisite and 
extravagant dresser. Every time she came to Lon- 
don, she ordered toilettes galore. She was, or her 
husband was, very wealthy. She was of a type of 
beauty that made her look almost like a Creole. 
She had wonderful hands and feet, and dressed to 
perfection. I remember making a ball dress for her 
of rose pink tulle with cerise bows of velvet and a 
bunch of crimson dahlias, as a bouquet de corsage. 
While waiting for her carriage to go to the ball, 
she took a book from the table to read. She had been 
suffering with a headache and it is supposed she 
had taken a dose of bromide, probably an overdose. 
When her maid came to tell her that her carriage 
was waiting, they found her, book in hand, dressed 
in this charming gown, — dead. The next morning 
I received a wire to discontinue her orders for 
other" gowns. So, this charming woman, young, 
—252— 



AMERICAN WOMEN IN LONDON 

beautiful, rich, admired, passed into eternity smil- 
ing, and garbed for a ball. 

Mrs. Sam Newhouse, a great friend and protege 
of the late Mrs. Ronalds, managed to climb the so- 
cial ladder, with a great eclat. Mrs. Newhouse was 
very pretty, with a charming figure. I had the 
pleasure of gowning her for years. She was cer- 
tainly quite an acquisition, for she wore her clothes 
perfectly, she walked well, and her marvellous 
jewels gave her great notoriety. I was told that 
the insurance upon her pearls was the highest ever 
paid in New York. Her great friends are Mrs. 
Bradley Martin and Lady Craven, whom she 
helped in the good cause, and also although she 
has a town house, she prefers to live in the country 
where she gives her little dinners and receptions. 

Alas, alas, these absorbing topics of gowns are 
no longer de rigueur in Europe. We do not speak, 
we do not think, we do not produce them. To be 
flippant, to be interested in pomp and vanity when 
the death knell continually booms its last salute to 
some dear one, is impossible. 

Still, we women must be gowned, even at the 
risk of being called vain. 

Vanity, thy name is woman. 

—253— 



CHAPTER XIV 

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF ROUMANIA 

Whenever I am asked who, among the queens 
of Europe it has been my privilege to know, is the 
most beautiful, I can say without hesitation, it is 
Her Majesty the Queen of Roumania, the great- 
est reigning beauty in Europe. In her presence 
is combined the royal splendour of two great royal 
families. She is the daughter of the Duke of Ed- 
inburgh, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, 
on her father's side. On her mother's side, who was 
the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, she is the 
granddaughter of the late Emperor Alexander of 
Russia, who was assassinated. Consider for a min- 
ute what a heritage of personal dignity and beauty 
this Queen of Roumania enjoys. She has inherited 
her superb loveliness from her ancestors, in an un- 
precedented measure; she has blended the barbaric 
grandeur of Russia with the aristocratic breeding 
of the House of Hanover and England. When a 
girl of sixteen she married one of the Hohenzol- 
—254— 



H. M. THE QUEEN OF ROUMANIA 

lerns, who was practically adopted by the late King, 
and the late Carmen Sylva, Queen of Roumania. 
I had the privilege of knowing them both inti- 
mately. 

The present Queen of Roumania is by all means the 
most beautiful of all Queens in Europe. The most 
wonderful part of her regal personality is her real 
charm, which consists in the fact that she is abso- 
lutely ignorant of, or indifferent to, her own beauty 
and her peculiar magnetic gifts. Her head is set 
upon her shoulders in such perfect poise and pro- 
portion, that it has been compared to the sculpture 
proportions of a living Juno. It is crowned with 
masses of the most luxurious chestnut-coloured 
hair, which she wears in a luxurious coil. The ef- 
fect is classical in the extreme, and her calm, clear- 
cut features add to an impression she gives of a 
perfect cameo. She prefers the costume of a Rou- 
manian peasant. Its simplicity, its brilliant col- 
ours, add charm that enhances her mobile features. 
She has the most wonderful smile of any woman I 
ever saw. In modern dress, the Queen of Rou- 
mania prefers always the long lines. Her gowns 
are usually made of heavy draperies, caught up 
with precious stones. I recall I had the honour of 
producing for her a gown of gold tissue over an 

—255— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

underdress of moire souple ivorie entirely covered 
with turquoise velvet miroir, caught with huge 
tassels hanging from the shoulders. Her wonder- 
ful hair was intertwined with huge Caucasian tur- 
quoise and diamonds. It was coronet a la Russe. 

Her stockings, I always made for her, were espe- 
cially woven, in all possible shades imaginable. 

The first time I met Her Majesty was when she 
sent for me on a special occasion. When I entered 
her room, her husband was standing not very far 
from the lounge where she was sitting. They both 
exclaimed on my entrance, for my resemblance to 
the late Queen of Roumania, Carmen Sylva. I felt 
highly complimented. Her husband, now the King, 
who was then Crown Prince of Roumania, was a 
great admirer of women. I noticed that he was 
looking very hard at the little English girl I had 
brought with me as an assistant. In fact, he was 
so absorbed in admiration that he did not see a step- 
ladder which had been left in the room for the hang- 
ing of some curtains. Naturally, he fell over the 
ladder. We all laughed, none more heartily than 
Her Majesty, because we all knew why he had 
failed to see the step-ladder, we all knew that his 
eyes were rivetted upon the pretty little English 
milliner. 

—256— 




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CERTIFICATE GIVEN BY THE QUEEN OF R0UMAN1A 

"Her delightful Majesty," as the author calls her. Queen of Roumania sent 

the Baroness her appointment, with a eulogistic epistle from the Chamber ot 

Commerce. 



H. M. THE QUEEN OF ROUMANIA 

Whenever I saw the Queen of Roumania, her 
wonderful adaptability as a linguist was simply 
astounding. We conversed in three languages, 
which she had mastered brilliantly, in fact it was 
difficult to say which really was her own language. 
She had a beautiful voice, she was a brilliant mu- 
sician, and a clever painter. She is one of those few 
mortals upon whom the gods shower their wealth 
of genius and talent. Her eldest daughter, the 
Princess Elizabeth, is equally ravishing, admirable 
and lovely. Court gossip, fame and rumour have 
often announced the engagement of Princess Eliza- 
beth. This is not to be wondered at, since she is 
one of a family exceptionally gifted, with personal 
beauty, and delightful disposition. 

When I was honoured with the royal appoint- 
ment to Her Majesty, Queen of Roumania, the 
document came to me accompanied with a most 
courteous letter from the Chamber of Commerce of 
the Roumanian Court, which seems impregnated 
with all the gracious tact and demeanour of the best 
Courts in Europe. They have probably absorbed 
the example from the beautiful Queen of Rou- 
mania and the most jovial King. 

Her Majesty most graciously presented me with 
her photograph, which I prize most zealously and 

—257— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

keep always before me. None of Her Majesty's 
sisters can lay claim to such beauty as hers, though 
the Grand Duchess Cecil, who was previously 
Grand Duchess of Hesse, and her sister, the Duch- 
ess of Montpensier, cousins of King Alfonso of 
Spain, are still considered very good looking and 
distingue. They have the inherent pride and regal 
bearing of their mother, the Grand Duchess Marie 
of Russia, who became the Duchess of Edin- 
burgh. 

The way I met Carmen Sylva was very unusual, 
and quite romantic. It was when I was travelling 
with my late husband through the Bavarian Alps. 
I had sauntered away with an interesting book, and 
choosing a very secluded spot, I found one of those 
rustic seats, where with my little Pomeranian we 
made ourselves comfortable. I was deep in the en- 
joyment of my book when two ladies approached 
and asked if they might sit beside me, as they had 
been walking a long distance. So began a very in- 
teresting conversation. We discussed politics, 
ethics, nearly every subject under the sun, and I 
was completely charmed with the brilliancy of the 
one lady, who had the most beautiful white hair 
imaginable. It was with real regret that I said au 
revoir. Later, when I was going to meet my hus- 
—258-^ 



H. M. THE QUEEN OF ROUMANIA 

band, I met one of those picturesque Bavarian men 
of the Tyrol, who, in his rather clever, delightful, 
musical dialect, asked me if I knew who the lady 
was I had been conversing with in so animated a 
manner. 

"That was Carmen Sylva, poetess and Queen of 
Roumania," he said. 

Dear Queen, she sleeps peacefully now. She was 
a wonderful soul, charitable, kind. She was a 
Princess of Wied before she married Carl of Rou- 
mania. She was another of those brilliant meteors 
in human form who flash upon a firmament full of 
smaller stars, yet, she remained to the last the most 
brilliant and glowing of them all. Nothing could 
take away from her the burning blaze of her ideals. 

I recall another incident, which almost brought 
myself and my husband into the presence of King 
Ludwig of Bavaria, he who was called the Mad 
King. We were travelling through the Bavarian 
Alps, and reached Innsbruck very late one night, 
with our postillions, luggage and servants. All the 
hotels seemed full. At the Innsbruck Hof the ami- 
able Tyrolean host must have taken us for some 
foreign potentates, for he told us most apologeti- 
cally that the only vacant room in his house be- 
longed to the King of Bavaria, who was absent on 

—259— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

a hunt, and as His Majesty was not returning on 
that night we might occupy it if we would. We 
accepted at once, of course, and were ushered into 
a room of magnificent proportions perfumed with 
pine boughs, and with a huge fourposter bed that 
looked most inviting to the weary travellers. Be- 
fore a fire of huge pine logs, from a table beauti- 
fully carved and so large that the snowy cloth failed 
to cover half of it, we dined on scrambled eggs, a 
bottle of Tyrolean wine, delicious black bread and 
fresh butter, such fare as only a few hours before 
had been placed on the same table for that hand- 
some, genial, poetical King that many people call 
Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria. Personally, I can- 
not believe that he was mad. Eccentric, perhaps, 
yet a soul that could conceive such adorable ideas, 
such an enormous wealth of idealism, such artistic 
sentiment, could be considered mad only by the 
vulgar, who ever fail to understand the soul of 
the artist. His one real and only love, the Duch- 
ess d'Alencon, who lost her life in that terrible fire 
in the bazaar at Paris, he could never forget. 

Those lovely sisters, the Duchess d'Alencon and 
the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, were universally 
admired. When the Empress hunted in Ireland, 
—260— 



H. M. THE QUEEN OF ROUMANIA 

every one adored her for her great pluck and her 
audacious courage. I often saw her, and I with all 
the rest of the world was shocked inexpressibly at 
her untimely death at the hands of an assassin. 



—261— 



CHAPTER XV 

OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

One realises, vividly, what this fearful night- 
mare of war in which Europe now sleeps, really is, 
as one looks upon those days of royal power and 
grandeur, when the splendour of Kings was at its 
height. Shall I ever forget the great ball given in 
London to which I received a card of invitation, 
given in honour of Kaiser Wilhelm and his con- 
sort ! The horror of Zeppelins and submarines was 
as remote then as the end of the world is to-day. 

The Kaiserin was resplendent in a toilette of 
Eastern fabric and colour, wearing the most superb 
jewels imaginable, a gorgeous figure of an Em- 
press. 

The Kaiser in the uniform of a British General, 
with the order of the Star and Garter on his breast. 
He was an imposing and benignant figure, though 
rather stern. He was surrounded by a number of 
foreign attaches. I cannot believe that he is the 
instigator of the fearful holocaust of human life in 
Europe. Every one who knows anything about 
—262— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

his personality remembers how he once adored 
everything English, how warmly he felt towards 
his royal cousins, and towards the land where his 
royal mother was born. One must only imagine 
that some mental earthquake could have changed 
so wise and so evenly balanced a mind. But, 
I am, perhaps, anticipating events! 

The reception, when in London, to His Imperial 
Majesty, the German Kaiser, was very cordial. 
His feelings, however, could only be surmised, 
not specified; if he had already concluded in his 
mind his future aggressive thoughts, or if he really 
came as a guest and friend to the British Isles, is 
almost impossible to define. I always thought 
him a friend of dear old England, staunch and 
true to the colours of his mother's birthplace. Yet 
— "erare human est" — perhaps I saw in his stern 
graven features something which the world had 
not recognised, and if a mental earthquake shook 
the evenly balanced potentate, only Divinity knows. 
Relationships in war-time do not count; all is ab- 
sorbed in the only manner, to do the best for one's 
country always! 

I must not become involved in the burning ques- 
tion of the day, which is so remote from these 
brilliant memories. 

—263— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

It is not difficult, in imagination, to be seated in 
my box at Buckingham Palace, as I was then, and 
to find myself looking out upon the ball-room floor. 

I see from my box King George dancing grace- 
fully with the Princess Louischen. I see their Maj- 
esties the Emperor of Germany and the Dow- 
ager Queen Alexandra, in a quadrille. I see 
Queen Mary of England, in her favourite waltz, 
wearing her exquisite toilette of silver brocade, her 
diamonds, and the famous Kohinoor, the African 
diamond, and the largest in the world, worn as a 
pendant on her brow like a fixed star. It was on 
this occasion, at the supper, part of it served on 
a large buffet, that the historical royal gold service 
of which I spoke was used. Until the early hours 
of the morning this memorable ball kept up. I 
am convinced that at no other Court in Europe 
were festivities to be seen on such a magnificent 
scale. They were actually unknown at other 
courts. The Court of King Edward VII set the 
pace for splendour and wealth of everything, and 
the Court of King George V maintained it, so 
long as peace prevailed. I believe it was the last 
great occasion in England when the Imperial 
guests the Kaiser and Kaiserin of Germany were 
feted and entertained there. It must surely re- 
—264— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

main in their recollection as an everlasting and 
wonderful souvenir of England, an expression of 
the good will from the people of all classes in Eng- 
land. 

Who could believe that such relationships should 
ever become hostile. 

My memories involve other epoch-making inci- 
dents in the history of royalty, that are equally 
significant. 

When Prince Napoleon (Lulu) was brought 
back to England and laid to rest at Chiselhurst, I 
received a card of invitation to be present at the 
Chapel, from the Duke de Bassano, and Mons. 
Petri, who graciously allotted me a seat there. 

The little Chapel was hung in dark purple vel- 
vet, with silver escutcheons and emblems of the 
house of Napoleon. The catafalque standing on a 
raised pedestal surmounted with draperies of the 
same colour, on which was laid Prince Napoleon's 
sword, and nothing but a little modest bunch of 
violets. Many of Napoleon's coterie had come 
over from Paris to be present at the ceremony, 
which was very impressive. The clergy in their 
sumptuous vestments, the melancholy chant of the 
High Mass, it was all awe-inspiring and sad to a 
degree. The tragic and dramatic end of the last 

—265— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

of the Napoleons was something never to be for- 
gotten. The initials R. I. P. were the inspiration 
of a monster cross smothered in Russian and 
Parma violets. Special trains were arranged at 
Chiselhurst for our disposal after the funeral ser- 
vices, refreshments were also served, and little 
mementoes with inscriptions of the date of Prince 
Napoleon's birth and death on the white and pur- 
ple satin ribbons tied about them, were distributed. 

All disaster, however, is sudden, and that which 
has come upon us in Europe really seems so re- 
mote, even in the comparatively recent years of 
London's gaiety. 

How well I remember the mammoth garden 
party given by the beautiful Countess of Londes- 
borough at Dunstan Lodge, her lovely town house 
in Regent's Park. One could hardly imagine 
one's self in a London house. Huge meadows pas- 
turing prize sheep and cattle, a modern model 
dairy, great trees and lovely lakes, with beautiful 
flowers everywhere, these were the surroundings 
at Dunstan Lodge. In years gone by it had been 
a royal hunting box, belonging to one of the royal 
Georges. To-day it is the property of your Amer- 
ican millionaire, Otto Kahn. 

At this memorable garden party, which was 
—266— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

given to celebrate the laying of the foundation 
stone of a cathedral in Salisbury, near Scar- 
borough, where the ancestral estates of the Londes- 
boroughs are situated, besides His Majesty King 
Edward and Queen Alexandra, one met the entire 
elite of the English aristocracy. The party being 
for charity, the tickets of admission were five and 
ten guineas each, or as much more as one wished to 
give. As many of the toilettes worn on this gala 
occasion were of the House of Frederic, I was 
curious and anxious to see them in their proper 
surroundings. Her Ladyship of Londesborough 
might have stepped from a frame of one of her 
family portraits, her presence was so beautiful and 
so picturesque. Her costume, which I had the 
honour of designing, was of palest flesh-coloured 
crepe meteore, an over-dress of white Chantilly, an 
old-world sash of black velvet, an enormous Leg- 
horn hat, with narrow black velvet ribbon, and she 
carried a bouquet of crimson poppies, blue corn- 
flowers and yellow wheat. Her Ladyship's pecu- 
liarity was a rather impetuous manner at times. 
She always seemed to be in a tremendous hurry. 
She arrived at my salons one day at two in the 
afternoon. 

—267— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

"My dear, I must have a gown for to-night," she 
said. 

"But, my dear Countess, we have no fairy wands 
in our establishment," I said. 

"Never mind, you must manage it. I am per- 
fectly aware that it will be a perfectly wonderful 
thing to do, but I know that you will," said Her 
Ladyship, and disappeared from my sight before 
I could say a word. Next morning, I received 
this startling telephone message from her : 

"A thousand thanks, but I am already married, 
it was a great success. Isn't it a great pity that 
the religion of Brigham Young is not permitted in 
England." 

Lady Londesborough was decidedly impetuous. 
Her brother, the Earl of Westmoreland, married a 
step-sister of Lady Warwick, and when he died, 
some few years ago, the Countess of Londesbor- 
ough adopted his daughter, and I believe she is now 
married again. Lady Londesborough's son, Lord 
Raincliffe, is at the front doing his bit. 

Her sweet and girlish daughter, the Lady Irene 
Dennison, in a frock of purest white mousseline, 
looked a perfect dream of youthful beauty. She 
was tall, willowy and graceful, a perfect counter- 
part of her lovely mother. 
—268— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

Another delightful woman of this period was the 
Viscountess Falmouth, a very handsome woman, 
and whom I always dressed with great care, be- 
cause she wore her gowns to perfection. She was 
very fond of the Burnous mantle, and had a great 
trick of throwing one over her when driving. 

I made her gown for the coronation ceremonies, 
trimmed with lace and ermine or minnever, which 
had been in the family for hundreds of years. By 
deft manipulation I made a very unusual costume 
of it. 

For this occasion Queen Alexandra put aside 
her mourning, and I made for her a beautiful 
toilette of silver grey, bonnet en suite,, with sprays 
of lovely mauve lilacs. The artists who appeared 
at this garden fete were great public favourites, 
such as Little Elsie, now Mrs. Ian Boullough, and 
the inimitable Joe Coyne, who gave the then popu- 
lar "Merry Widow" dance, and received an ova- 
tion. There was also the celebrated violinist, 
Kubelik, and a number of other artists of equal 
importance. The garden party ended when the 
King and Queen arose to partake of tea. 

It seems as though these events must have taken 
place in another world, so tinged with romance do 

—269— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

they seem in these present times of stress and anxi- 
ety. Yet, only a few years have passed. 

An incident has just reminded me of the person- 
ality of the celebrated Lady Brassey, whose yacht, 
the Sunbeam, made her famous. She sent for 
me once to come to her gorgeous country seat, 
"Normanhurst," in Sussex. It was really a show 
place, for her Ladyship in her trips around the 
world in the Sunbeam had picked up the most 
wonderful oriental rugs and embroideries, and val- 
uable tapestries. The walls of the great reception 
hall at "Normanhurst," with its enormous Jaco- 
bean fireplaces, were hung with priceless treasures. 
I can almost smell again the penetrating incense 
sprinkled on those huge blazing logs, before which 
we were sitting on huge skins of lions and tigers. 

Lady Brassey was a sybaritic woman. Her 
tastes were barbaric, and her almost phenomenal 
extravagances were unique. Money had no value 
to her, and she spent it freely with the indulgence 
that her husband, Sir Thomas Brassey, could easily 
supply, since he was the Empire's richest iron- 
master and railroad king. The foundation of the 
Brassey fortune was laid by Lord Brassey, his 
grandfather. Lord Brassey became First Lord of 
—270— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

the Admiralty, and, with Lady Brassey, did a great 
deal of good in England. 

Upon arriving at "Normanhurst," I was first 
lunched "en Princesse" and then consulted with 
Lady Brassey on the all-important matter of a 
Court dress for the presentation of her eldest 
daughter, now Lady Egerton; also one for her- 
self and for her step-sister. Some time later, I 
remember being seated on a big four-poster bed in 
their town house in Park Lane, giving a very poor 
imitation of Queen Victoria on her throne, while 
these three ladies paid homage to me. They were 
practising the difficult deportment which Court 
etiquette demanded of them, and I found it very 
amusing criticising their court bows. 

Lady Brassey wore a gown of crimson oriental 
brocade. It was so gorgeous in colour and design 
that the Court was rather staggered by its daring, 
yet it suited Lady Brassey's dark beauty to per- 
fection, and as she approached the Queen at the 
Drawing Room, she looked like an Eastern Em- 
press. Never have I seen such teeth as she had, 
they were so white and brilliant. I think she was 
a bit vain of them, for she had a habit of drawing 
up her lips in a sort of smile which was still not a 
smile. Her daughter and her step-sister wore 

—271— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Court dresses that were really splendid counter- 
foils for Lady Brassey. They were simply pure 
white, with no other colour to mar their simple and 
distinguished character. Lady Brassey was 
drowned at sea, returning from a cruise. She was 
greatly missed, and many envied me my possession 
of her autograph, for usually her secretary wrote 
all her letters. 

One of the distinctly British holidays, or rather 
commemoration days, is Primrose Day. The idea 
originated through an organisation of the Primrose 
League Dames. They planned to establish the 
fame of Lord Beaconsfield, Disraeli, by selecting 
his favourite flower, the primrose, which blossoms 
in April, as a national Beaconsfield emblem. His 
late wife, who was much older than he, was devot- 
edly happy with him, and the idea no doubt ori- 
ginated with her and her coterie of women friends, 
who conservatively entered into a bond to perpet- 
uate the fame of Lord Beaconsfield, the Prime 
Minister who made Queen Victoria the Empress 
of India. His statue is always profusely dec- 
orated with primroses on Primrose Day. Politi- 
cally, the Primrose League Dames are ultra-con- 
servative, as they are in dress. It is a great dis- 
—272— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

tinction for women to belong to the Primrose 
League Dames. 

One can scarcely speak of Lord Beaconsfield 
without thinking of Mr. Gladstone. Political op- 
ponents as they were, they hated with vigour, and 
made the torch of discord flame high in society. I 
wonder what they would say to-day, seeing their 
beloved country in the thrall of a feud which knows 
neither Whig nor Tory, Liberal nor Conserva- 
tive. 

Lady Muriel de la Warr, "dainty Muriel," as 
she used to be called, was married at sixteen, and 
I gowned both her and her sister, who is Lady 
Winnington, wife of the Governor of India. I 
remember when as dear little girls, their mother, 
Lady Brassey, insisted on giving them sealskin 
jackets. In vain I remonstrated that they were 
too mature and too costly for such young girls, but 
Her Ladyship would have her own way. Peace 
be with her, for her books are still read and very 
much appreciated. Times are indeed changed 
since those days of great entertainments given by 
Her Ladyship as the grande dame of the Ambu- 
lance Corps of St. John, to which she gave thou- 
sands of pounds. Her millions possessed but one 
charm, and that was to spend them regally and 

—273— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

royally, and no one who ever called upon Lady 
Brassey for assistance was ever refused a generous 
gift. 

One of my distinguished clients was the wife of 
the English Ambassador to Germany, Lady Er- 
myntrude Malet, daughter of the Duke of Bed- 
ford. She was a brilliant wit, and was very pop- 
ular at the German Court, the Kaiser being par- 
ticularly interested by her charm. 

When the Kaiser's sister was married to one of 
the Hesses, I made her gown of the palest grey 
pearl damask fleuri, the embroideries of which, in 
real gold, were a true work of art. The court 
train of this gown was bordered in priceless Rus- 
sian sable, an heirloom of the late Duchess of Bed- 
ford, who in her youth had been one of the brides- 
maids of the late Queen Victoria. Her Excel- 
lency was one of those grandes dames who would 
never go to a shop, or even to the salons of her 
modiste. Everything was taken to her magnifi- 
cent mansion in Eton Square for her inspection, 
and there Lady Ermyntrude Malet would choose 
the toilettes for which she was justly famous. 

The Kaiser's sister was not tall; she was rather 
blonde, had a neat little figure, was very modest, 
very sweet, and very intellectual. Her married 
—274— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

life had been idyllic. She had twin sons twice. 
Two of her sons have died on the field of honour, 
and quite recently another son was killed in the 
war. 

For some time the Lady Ermyntrude Malet re- 
tired into private life, but recently, at the begin- 
ning of the present war, when the Duchess of Som- 
erset organized a Charity Ball, she emerged from 
her seclusion in the costume of a Court Lady of 
Spain, which was very gorgeous. The underdress 
was of historical gold embroidery, and a basquine 
of palest pastel green, brocaded with arabesques 
of gold, belonged to one of her ancestors. Her 
collar, mantilla, and high Spanish comb, were all 
real antiques, as well as her priceless jewels. Even 
her gloves were embroidered with precious stones. 
You may be sure she created a sensation at the ball. 

I had gowned her for a quarter of a century, and 
went to her house on the night of the ball to put the 
finishing touches to this magnificent costume. The 
interior of her mansion was exquisite. Every table 
and chair was from a priceless collection of Louis 
XV furniture. Original paintings by Greuze, 
Rubens, Hoppner, hung against marvellous tapes- 
tries that covered the walls. It was like a glimpse 
of the Louvre or the Tuileries. Her Excellency, 

—275— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Lady Ermyntrude Malet, was perhaps more of the 
old school, having little inclination for the modern 
frivolities. Since the tragedy of the war, she is 
working assiduously for a good cause, and spend- 
ing huge sums for the wounded. I shall always 
cherish her kindness and amiability, and will never 
forget her rarely sympathetic nature. 

How they crowd into my thoughts, those lovely 
days, those gracious ladies, who were without ex- 
ception all that was kind and loyal! 

I shall always remember dear Lady Pierri, and 
her sister, Miss Carlisle, with the greatest personal 
regard for the many kindnesses they have really 
shown me. When her clever husband was made a 
Knight of St. Patrick, I designed the gown for her 
to be worn on this occasion, made of royal blue 
velvet, with ermine, crystal and silver embroideries. 
Notwithstanding their enormous wealth they are 
most unostentatious. Their donations to all chari- 
ties are huge, and there is a magnificent and com- 
pletely equipped hospital in the city of Belfast, 
which they donated to the city. In their beautiful 
home in London, there are no men servants. The 
entire staff are Irish girls. The only two men em- 
ployed by the household are the coachman and the 
chauffeur. 
—276— 



OTHER MEMORIES IN ENGLAND 

Another celebrated figure in London society at 
this time was Mrs. Alfred Morrison. She was a 
Miss Schermerhorn; her brother was a celebrated 
General, and her sister was the wife of one of the 
Judges of the Supreme Court. Her wealth was 
fabulous, and materially assisted in making her a 
prominent figure in London society. Her taste 
was decidedly French, preferably of the reign of 
one of the Louis'. She was rather a clever violin- 
ist, and a good linguist. She had a peculiar way 
of walking which gave one the impression that she 
was an Algerian woman. She never wore corsets, 
and this added to her general habit of swaying the 
body slightly as she moved, like a Houri, or like 
one of the queens of a harem. Her town house in 
Carlton Terrace boasted of a Carrara marble stair- 
case worth fifty thousand dollars, alabaster urns 
and vases, paintings by the old masters, a regal 
fortune in sight everywhere. Her two daughters, 
though quite beautiful, married rather late in life. 

One became Lady White, and the other the 
Viscountess St. Cyr. The latter was rather intel- 
lectual. I made the dresses for them for their 
coming-out ball, of white peau de soie, with scarlet 
cherries, which became their dark beauty im- 
mensely. The favours at this cotillion, supplied by 

—277— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

their mother, Mrs. Alfred Morrison, were very 
costly. Since Mrs. Morrison has become a widow 
she has retired into the country. 

While I am sitting here assiduously writing, try- 
ing to forget nothing which may be of interest, my 
little Pomeranian dog, a bit of the old country, 
from Devonshire, comes up and snuggles near me, 
looks pleadingly into my eyes, as much as to say, 
"Isn't it time to go to bed?" The little animal 
makes me think of the words of Lafayette, "The 
more I see of men, the more I love dogs." 



—278- 



CHAPTER XVI 

SOME FAMOUS GRANDES DAMES 

Have you ever realised what that exotic being, 
a Grande Dame, really means? One meets them 
so rarely, and I might almost say that they are 
nearly extinct. 

Paradoxically, a Grande Dame is born, not 
made. The magic ring of superb dignity and 
charm in which they live, is really an invisible at- 
mosphere created by their own incarnate nature. 
I use the term "incarnate nature" as the only fit- 
ting explanation of the extraordinary instinct for 
superior humanity which the Grande Dame rep- 
resents. She is imbued with the very essence of 
all that is feminine perfection, she is brought up in 
a creed which is daily becoming almost extinct, it 
is the creed of good manners and kindly feeling. 
Of course, the nursery has incubated her, the child 
environment has been an atmosphere of superior- 
ity, the ultimate education has been a factor. But 
these are influences kept entirely in the back- 

—279— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

ground, the reserve forces, the fundamental pro- 
pensities of a real existence. 

One of the most perfect Grandes Dames of Eng- 
land, of the old school, of course, was the late 
Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes of 
the late Queen Victoria. Her bearing, her voice, 
softly modulated, her gracious, unostentatious de- 
meanour was an influence that impressed and con- 
quered. More than gracious to every one, yet 
never familiar, she was the epitome of a Grande 
Dame. Her mode of gowning, subdued and ele- 
gant, was nevertheless a blend of colour which im- 
pressed you. You felt that you were in the pres- 
ence of somebody very lofty, but human. I re- 
member she spoke very kindly to one of my as- 
sistants, requesting her to sit down, and chatted 
very pleasantly with her, asking her many ques- 
tions as to the well-being of the employees of my 
house. At the end of the conversation she sent for 
the footman to bring her a nosegay, and went with 
her to the door of her own room. This Grande 
Dame never lost one iota of her dignity. She be- 
came distinguished through the veil of her sweet 
and lovable manner. After all, it is only those of 
us who are not sure of ourselves, who most fear 
—280— 



SOME FAMOUS GRANDES DAMES 

familiarity. It is the veneer, the spurious imita- 
tion of dignity, that fears to unbend. 

The Grande Dame surrounds herself always 
with great distinction by maintaining the most 
careful social setting, by guarding rigidly her as- 
sociations. She is a leader in society because of 
her broad idea of responsibility to do all the good 
she can, to influence the minds of less fortunate 
people whom she meets at times. Your Grande 
Dame does not wear her jewels at all times of the 
day. She chooses her garments with a discretion 
of colour, seeking always to soften, to subdue the 
glamour of her station. When she walks it is as 
though she were gliding. She never raises her 
voice, her goal is perfect harmony. 

Those splendid dinners and entertainments for 
which English society was justly famous, were in- 
spired by the Grande Dame. The character of the 
menu, the selection of the dishes, had a certain re- 
serve. There was an obvious talent of refinement 
at these dinners, a clever evasion of the ostentation 
of wealth. The quality and physical element of 
these parties were never published to the world. 
Your Grande Dame regards reticence as the high- 
est duty of good taste. These entertainments, in- 
spired and created by the genius of the Grande 

—281— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Dame, although rising to every attribute of splen- 
dour, redundant with luxury, never had the noisy 
error of equally grand entertainment given by 
lesser personages, by social upstarts. 

I recall a great reception given by the Duke and 
Duchess of Buccleuch, where great admiration was 
excited by some wonderful confectionery. The 
guests were as delighted as children and paid as 
much attention to this superb creation of the din- 
ner as if it had been a great event of their lives. 
Simplicity and sincerity were the elements and as- 
sociates of the Grande Dame. Food, in those 
days, was not conceived in the mixed indecision of 
the present day. Of course the most delightful 
dinners were to be found across the Channel from 
England, where one found the Grande Dame of 
France. She originated there. 

The flowers on her dinner table were not of the 
exotic quality. She preferred to be served in huge 
vessels of crystal. To soften the glare of an indis- 
creet world, she preferred the subdued light in 
crystal chandeliers. There still lingers this quiet 
motif of Beethoven in some old mansions, in the 
roomy country houses of France, where the tradi- 
tions of the Grande Dame survive. It is an at- 
—282— 



SOME FAMOUS GRANDE S DAMES 

mosphere which the parvenus try to get, but are 
never quite able to imitate. 

One of the insistent rules of the Grande Dame 
has been entirely overthrown by the liberty of 
modern life. It was a fixed tradition of good man- 
ners, that the Grande Dame should never permit 
a gentleman to smoke in her presence. Now she 
smokes with them. A smoking room was always 
provided where a gentleman could retire, and join 
the ladies afterward in the drawing room, where 
music, politics, and a little bit of scandal were en- 
joyed. When I say scandal, however, I do not 
mean all that the word implies to-day. Your 
Grande Dame never permitted any flagrant dis- 
cussions, and any one overstepping the discretion 
of her social laws was ostracised. This, of course, 
was done to protect the daughters, to prevent them 
from hearing the chatter of the Clubs. 

Another very distinguished Grande Dame of 
England was the Duchess of Northumberland, 
daughter of the Duke of Argyle. She was very 
tall, very stately, with an air that was immune to 
anything but regal traditions. Her circle was en- 
tirely restricted, there were no intruders, because 
she created a society for herself. She personally 
scrutinised very carefully every invitation sent out 

—283— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

by her secretary. Only on rare occasions did she 
reverse the invitations of her secretary. On these 
occasions her list was augmented, but only for men 
who were scholars, the Catholic Church dignities, 
Cardinals, the Jesuit Princes of the soul-saving 
community, a background of intellectual humanity 
for the elite. 

The period of the Grande Dame, which I fear 
is passing away, had its tradition of correct con- 
versation. They studied the proper mode of ex- 
pressing themselves, they even established a fash- 
ion of spelling. They attended modern French 
discourses, and they used a phraseology superbly 
refined. They spoke almost in whispers. They 
devoted hours to having romances read to them, 
after which literary discussions took place between 
them. After all, these Grandes Dames being 
women, they had their coteries. They were not 
flippant in the sense of that word to-day, but they 
occasionally admitted to their inner circle certain 
insolent spirits of literature, or so-called philosophy. 
They paid much formal respect to religious observ- 
ances. It was a prerogative of the Grandes Dames, 
exercised only on special occasions, to permit them- 
selves to accept the homage of the crowds. This 
—284— 



SOME FAMOUS GRANDE S DAMES 

was extended to them only sometimes in a moment 
of oversight by the crowds themselves. 

There was in England a type of arrogant aris- 
tocrats, who were not always to the manner born, 
and these women tried very hard to enter the 
charmed circle of the Grandes Dames, but were un- 
successful. 

One cannot excuse the Grande Dame of the 
charge of haughtiness. This characteristic was 
particularly evident when she appeared at Court. 
It was on these occasions that the Grande Dame 
asserted her rights, which were beyond and above 
her rank. There were absolute Duchesses and in- 
discreet Duchesses, who, when they met at Court, 
clashed. A case in point was when the absolute 
Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos met the 
usurper. The latter was deliberately cut by her. 
The usurping Duchess, however, who only wished 
to usurp the rights of her rank, didn't care. She 
had a commanding figure, she was a wonderful 
personality, standing nearly six feet two. She 
could walk for miles and miles on her own undis- 
puted Scotch territory, which some of the Grandes 
Dames could not do. She could hew a tree with 
ease, she was a keen sportswoman, and when she 
died, recently, she left one daughter, who married 

—285— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

and divorced an Austrian nobleman. This Duch- 
ess was colossally rich, and when the late Duke died 
he left her everything excepting the property which 
was not entailed. She cut the timber down upon 
these Scotch properties. She removed a wonder- 
ful organ from Stafford House, dismantled the 
whole mansion, and did many quixotic things which 
delighted the scandalmongers. Her first husband 
was accidentally shot on the late Duke's estate. 
Her marriage to the Duke was something of a dar- 
ing venture. She came to America with him on 
his yacht and they were married in Florida. She 
was a Grande Dame by rank, but not by incarnate 
nature. Perhaps she was the subject of censure 
by inferior people. She spent enormous sums in 
Paris and London upon her gowns, yet she was 
Scotch, and that means she was not too liberal. I 
know that she was economically inclined, and with 
her brother, attended personally to all her business 
affairs. She burned a pile of documents relating 
to her inheritance, and this being in violation of a 
Court Order, she was sent to Holloway Jail for 
contempt of Court, for a month. She had a very 
merry time there. She was allowed to furnish her 
own room, ordered her own food, and kept her 
maid with her. She received whom she liked, the 
—286— 



SOME FAMOUS GRANDE S DAMES 

only restriction being that she could not go outside 
the prison. 

Another notorious Grande Dame was the Duch- 
ess "Bob." Being somewhat notorious as the 
"sporting Duchess," she was not admitted to the 
sacred precincts of the Grandes Dames of tradition. 
Her language was very strong, liberally mixed 
with undesirable epigrams. She lived most of the 
time at her racing stables at Newmarket. She 
never missed a race, where she was easily recognis- 
able by her mannish costumes, which she wore with 
the greatest ease. Being very rich, she lost like a 
sportsman, without a murmur. Her stables were 
kept like drawing rooms, and her grooms and ser- 
vants adored her. I believe the late king was a 
great friend of hers, for he also loved horses and 
races. She married a second time, a prominent 
banker, about thirty years younger than she was, 
and very handsome. 

The present Duchess of Montrose is really a 
typical Grande Dame, and her lovely daughters 
and sons are indeed great social favourites. 

Then there is the present Duchess of Bedford, 
who was a daughter of a Dean of Bombay. She 
also is among the Grandes Dames of England, ex- 
tremely clever, ultra-conservative and especially 

—287— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

particular about her social code. Although her 
early youth was passed in the modest fashion in 
India, she seems to the manner born. When the 
present Duke of Bedford proposed to her in India, 
he was the Marquis of Tavistock, and his chances 
of inheriting the dukedom seemed rather remote, 
till his brother died very suddenly. 

The dowager Duchess of Bedford was and is still 
a remarkable woman, a Grande Dame, very exclu- 
sive and very handsome. Her sister is Lady 
Henry Somerset, a remarkable orator, who has 
travelled extensively in the United States. Both 
the Duchess of Bedford and her sister, Lady 
Henry Somerset, were daughters of the beautiful 
Countess Somers, a direct descendant of that lovely 
Quaker family of Elizabeth Fry. 

The Duchess of Wellington and the Duchess 
of Hamilton were both Grandes Dames, the latter 
being the daughter of the Duchess of Manchester, 
who later became the Duchess of Devonshire. She 
was very fond of the sporting world, and lacked 
repose and distinction because her pursuits and 
pleasures were perhaps more boisterous than the 
traditions of her rank demanded. Her husband, 
the late Duke of Hamilton, was, on his mother's 
side, of royal blood. She was Marie, Duchess of 
—288— 



SOME FAMOUS GRANDES DAMES 

Baden. He was one of the richest land-owners in 
Great Britain and Scotland. The present Duch- 
ess married a second time, her land steward, and I 
believe they are intensely happy. Their daughter, 
Lady Marie Hamilton, who was the greatest heir- 
ess in England, married the Marquis Graham, heir 
to the dukedom of Montrose. Like all other Brit- 
ish aristocrats, he is doing his best for the good 
cause. 

This sketch of the Grandes Dames of England 
would not be complete without reference to the tall, 
willowy, and distingue woman, the Duchess of 
Portland. She is the one Grande Dame whose 
code of ethics succeeded in keeping out of her 
charmed presence all doubtful and uncertain 
classes. Welbeck-Abbey, her residence, was in- 
deed the most desirable castle in England. The 
former Duke of Portland immortalised it by build- 
ing in the castle gorgeous subterranean salons. 
The Duchess presided with grace in the midst of 
her artistic environments. She was a woman of 
elegance and simplicity. She always wore in her 
girdle some Malmaison carnations. They were 
her floral code. Her son, the Marquis of Tich- 
bourne, and her daughter, Lady Bentinck, look 
exactly like His Grace the Duke of Portland. He 

—289— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

was the Master of the Horse and Knight of the 
Star and Garter. 

Their marriage was a story of love at first sight. 
She was Miss Dallas Yorke, and the Duke saw 
her standing on the platform of a small station in 
England. He was struck by her distinction, her 
lovely blue eyes, her tall, graceful figure, and she 
has not changed much. She is always delightfully 
and simply gowned, her hair is beautiful. She is 
regal-looking, is especially gracious and amiable, 
and is by all means the most perfect type of the 
Grande Dame left in England. 



—290— 



CHAPTER XVII 

SOME RECOLLECTIONS OF ROYAL CHILDREN 

Since the children of royalty have to be brought 
up, like other children who consider themselves less 
fortunate, they are put through the same child ex- 
periences. Being well brought up, they are sweet 
and simple babies, who are not permitted to realise 
that they are playing in the shadow of the throne. 
I was privileged to know most of the little princes 
and princesses of England, when they were mere 
children. I have played with them in the royal 
nursery, shared the accessories of their royal kin- 
dergarten. 

There were two nurseries in whatever palace the 
children happened to be. The day nursery was a 
lofty room. The walls were hung with harmless 
etchings and nursery rhymes. The toys and the 
books, in large array, all had their places on shelves 
or in drawers. There were little white tables with 
little white chairs. There was plenty of floor- 
room, and the general effect was airy, bright, or- 

—291— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

derly. Adjoining the nursery and part of the 
children's suite was the music room. There was 
hardly any furniture in this room, but it was artis- 
tically arranged, so that the young princes and 
princesses could strum on the piano to their heart's 
content. I don't think it hurt the piano much, for, 
of course, it was not altogether of the first quality. 
Briefly, such was the Day Nursery. 

The Night Nursery, where the little princes and 
princesses slept, was a very little room. It was so 
small that one realised how easy it would be to keep 
it in order. Each little kiddie had a white cot, 
each had a separate chest of drawers, each had a 
stand where boots and shoes were kept, each had a 
looking-glass. A plain straw matting covered the 
floor, and the general colour of the room was white 
and rose. There were three easy-chairs, put there 
for the head nurse and her assistants, usually two. 
On the windows were white muslin curtains. The 
nurses or the nursery governess were always pres- 
ent when the children enjoyed their games. The 
uniforms worn by the nurses were white linen, and 
spotless white caps. 

The royal children themselves were always very 
simply dressed. The young princes in their baby- 
hood always wore plain cotton frocks, later they 
—292— 



ROYAL CHILDREN'S RECOLLECTIONS 

were dressed in little overalls and tiny slippers. 
These, of course, were their nursery dresses. They 
had wonderfully good times together, especially 
when they had games with their nurses in the big 
room where there was no furniture to bother them. 
The nursery was on the third floor of Buckingham 
Palace, overlooking Buckingham Palace garden. 
There were five huge windows which overlooked 
the lovely grounds. Sometimes the royal children 
got away from their too-zealous nurses and romped 
about regardless of what the stately head nurse in 
her immaculate uniform would say or think. 

The most refractory child, perhaps, was Princess 
Marie, who was rather self-willed, but her little 
German nurseiy maid usually understood her 
mood, and I believed they compromised very easily. 

What sweetly simple and well brought up chil- 
dren these little mites were. How they enjoyed 
teasing the nurse-maids, and being teased in re- 
turn. The boys would be found riding furiously 
on dangerous rocking-horses, or directing a battle 
with tin soldiers, or pretending to play football, 
while the little girls were seated in eager silence, 
listening to the nursery governess, who was reading 
to them from Andersen's Fairy Tales. The nurs- 
ery, of course, was not far from their mother's bed- 

—293— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

room, and they used to make secret pilgrimages 
there. 

The queen thoroughly dislikes smartness for 
children, so their clothes were very simple but ser- 
viceable. I remember seeing the little Princess 
Marie, her hair hanging down her back in lovely 
wavy curls, being dressed for a walk in the Buck- 
ingham Palace grounds, and I was impressed with 
the fact that her boots were hobnailed, because it 
happened to be a damp morning. They were all 
brought up charmingly, absolutely free from any 
ceremony. They were not imbued with militarism, 
or altruism. The purpose seemed to be that they 
should be brought up to long and useful lives of 
health and happiness. There was no ceremony in 
their relations with their parents. They called the 
king and queen mother and father. The children 
were all fair, with that peculiar freshness of com- 
plexion which one so often sees in English chil- 
dren. One of their chief amusements was to tease 
the royal footmen, who to them were obnoxiously 
stately. Prince John was very fond of wrestling 
with his elder brothers, but he always wanted his 
own way, and they usually gave it to him. 

Princess Marie was a tall and graceful child, and 
was treated with a great deal of awe by her broth- 
—294— 



ROYAL CHILDREN'S RECOLLECTIONS 

ers and sisters because of her calm and aristocratic 
bearing. She had her own bedroom, furnished in 
pure white, and yet very simple. The room con- 
tained a couch, a chair, a dressing-table on which 
was her ivory dressing-set. The table had a glass 
top, and there were always fresh flowers, plucked 
from the conservatory, on this table. It was a 
perfect little nest for a princess, containing the 
books chosen for her by her governess, her writing 
materials upon her little rosewood desk, photos of 
her beloved parents and her intimate friends upon 
the mantel shelf. The photographs of her grand- 
mother and great-grandmother were very conspic- 
uously displayed in the room. Her little upright 
piano was also in white. One can realise how ideal 
her childhood conditions were in these delightful 
surroundings. 

It was the custom at a certain hour of the day 
for the family barouche to be sent for, and the 
royal children were driven out for a constitutional 
in Hyde Park, accompanied by the head nurse and 
her assistant, wearing the grey uniform of the 
street with tiny black bonnets. The speed of the 
carriage was very carefully restrained by the 
coachmen. As the carriage passed under Marble 
Arch, the sentries would salute, and the boys would 

—295— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

return it. The princes were usually dressed in 
sailor suits, the princesses in white. 

I recall how delightful the little Princess Marie 
was with a doll which I dressed for her. Her 
acknowledgment of the present had in it the qual- 
ity of graciousness which one expects from royalty, 
but it was a very charming letter. Of course, these 
children were wonderfully guarded, always pro- 
tected from any outside influence that could be un- 
desirable, yet they were perfectly natural children. 
They delighted in fighting, romping, and having a 
general good time. If they were not always in the 
mood of obedience, they were punished, like other 
children. 

The two older princes, the Duke of Clarence 
and the Duke of York, when they were boys of nine 
or ten years old, were sent on a trip around the 
world in care of a guide who had long been asso- 
ciated with the British Court. This gentleman 
was sent with them to make them behave, and they 
did. From him I learned a great deal about the 
characteristics of the two royal princes. He told 
me that the Duke of Clarence was in every sense 
of the word a perfectly lovable boy. He gave very 
little trouble to his tutor, and from all I could hear, 
much less trouble than Prince George, who was 
—208— 



ROYAL CHILDREN'S RECOLLECTIONS 

not quite so easily managed. These traits in after 
years showed themselves very strongly. Prince 
George became King of England, and his boyhood 
was the starting-point of those little childish out- 
bursts of temper, which indicated that he would 
always insist on having his own way. The trip 
around the world proved a very delightful one 
upon the whole. There would have been a great 
deal of homage paid to them en route if this had 
been permitted ; their royal parents, however, were 
very particular upon the point that no ostentation 
of ceremony should be shown them. Prince George, 
later Prince of Wales, now King of England, had 
a very retiring manner in his boyhood, which has 
still clung to him. It is reported on one occasion, 
when the little princes were anchored on board ship 
near a foreign wharf, a number of poor children 
had gathered there, hoping to get a glimpse of the 
royalty. Both the young princes being on deck, 
their tutor said to them, "Throw them some 
money." The Duke of Clarence promptly put his 
hand in his pocket and threw a handful of coins 
upon the wharf. Prince George hesitated. His 
hand went into his pocket, but he reconsidered, say- 
ing, as he walked away, "I think I will hold on to 
mine." 

—297— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Years ago, when the children of King Edward 
VII and Her Majesty Queen Alexandra were 
growing up, I was privileged to visit the royal 
nursery. The child of this royalty who chiefly at- 
tracted my attention was Princess Maud, young- 
est daughter of Queen Alexandra, who is now 
Queen of Norway. She was a plump, short little 
girl, with a rather noisy manner, and was regarded 
in the nursery as a tomboy. Her laugh was in- 
fectious, and it made the nursery gayer. She was 
a very smart little girl, and her special attendant, 
Miss W., had her hands full. 

I recall one day being at Marlborough House, 
about the time of the engagement of the Duchess 
of Fife. The Duchess brought her fiance into the 
apartment of the young princesses. I heard the 
then Princess Louise call out, rather pointedly, to 
one of the nurses: 

"Take these kids away, they are so noisy," and 
in a titter of laughter the younger royal children 
disappeared. Princess Louise herself, at that 
time, was only eighteen years of age, the younger 
girls about thirteen and fifteen. I wonder to-day, 
if these royal children take the joy in their retro- 
spection of that wonderful youth of theirs, so beau- 
tifully guarded and so educationally inspired. 
—298— 




THE ROYAL CHILDREN 
The author, before going 
speak with these children 



to Australia, had many opportunities to see and 
when thev were still Duke and Duchess of York. 



ROYAL CHILDREN'S RECOLLECTIONS 

I knew Queen Marie as a child, she was the ap- 
ple of her parents' eyes. Her brothers adored 
her, and she was with them always. They fought 
together, they quarrelled together, they grew up in 
a certain imprudent intimacy. Her Majesty in 
her childhood joined in all the games of the boys, 
she was a real child of nature. Her nursery gov- 
erness and her finishing governess was Madame 
Brica, and she told me that she sometimes had 
great difficulty in curbing the exuberance of this 
high-spirited royal child. During her childhood, 
Her Majesty was a universal favourite in the little 
village of Richmond and Kingston-on-Thames, 
where these royal children were brought up. This 
place still has a great attraction for Her Majesty, 
for her beloved mother, the Duchess of Teck, is 
buried in that vicinity. She was indeed a lovable 
and charming mother, who entered into the fun of 
everything that her children loved. Her Majes- 
ty's handsome brother, whom she adored, Prince 
Francis of Teck, was a gay young spark, and many 
were the youthful scrapes out of which she helped 
him. He died only a few years ago in the fine 
flower of his manhood, and his sister grieved very 
much for him. Her eldest brother, the present 
Duke of Teck, married the daughter of the first 

^299— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Duke of Westminster. The children of the Duke 
of Teck are naturally also of royal blood, as are 
the children of the youngest brother, who married 
the brother of the Duchess of Albany. 

Royal children are not different in any way 
from all children. They have moments, too, when 
they lack repose, when they are boisterous, viva- 
cious, obdurate, when they shirk their lessons, and 
when they overeat themselves with candy. In 
childhood they weave fairy tales, in maidenhood or 
manhood they weave romance or tragedy, the chil- 
dren of yesterday are the grown-up children of 
to-day. 

The royal children of Italy have been brought 
up under the personal supervision of their adored 
mother, who was a very clever woman, the daugh- 
ter of a Montenegrin prince, Nicholas, the father 
of several queens of Europe. She always person- 
ally assists at their lessons, shares their indoor and 
outdoor sports, rides with them in the riding 
school. Athletic sports is the principal pastime 
for the little princes and princesses. The boys 
look forward with great pleasure to playing sol- 
diers. Particularly are the children adored by 
the mountaineer regiment of the Bersaglieri, that 
handsome regiment wearing green plumed feathers 
—300— 



ROYAL CHILDREN'S RECOLLECTIONS 

in their hats. The little Italian Crown Prince is 
already a lieutenant of his own regiment. 

The games which royal children enjoy are nat- 
urally expensive and elaborate. They have the 
blocks to build wonderful castles, material for 
fortresses, for feudal ruins. In a lake of real water 
they put mechanical swans that swim around, or, 
they are directing armies of toy soldiers. Some- 
times they go fishing on miniature lakes filled with 
decoy ducks, or they sail their little boats. Es- 
pecially do they love animals, rabbits, dogs and 
ponies. The Shetland ponies of the royal children 
are almost a necessity to their happiness, and dogs 
of all kinds romp with them. And yet, we observe 
that as time went on, and the young princes of 
royal blood became a little older, they played cro- 
quet, lawn-tennis, rather bad football, and they 
learned to swim. Englishmen are usually good 
sportsmen because of their early training. It was 
a standing joke in London to describe the early 
morning riders in the park as the "Liver Brigade." 

The tutor of the royal children of England was 
Mr. Hanson, a German. The morning usually 
began with lessons in the schoolroom, which was a 
high-ceiled big one, containing a globe and all the 
maps of Europe. 

—301— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

His Majesty George V sent the two older boys 
of his family quite early in life into the army and 
navy. Very often these striplings were put to the 
test. Of course, they were good linguists, speak- 
ing German and French fluently. To learn 
French the present young Prince of Wales was 
sent to France in the family circle of the Marquis 
and Marquise de Bretuille. The Marquise was 
born in America. The Prince of Wales naturally 
became the intimate friend of French boys. He 
learned and saw Germany at its best, going to 
Heidelberg and the smaller towns when he was 
quite young. 

The days of nursery rhymes have gone, and I 
wonder if these grown-up children of royalty ever 
think of those days when they used to sing with 
such vigour the baby rhymes of "Goosie, Goosie 
Gander." 



—302— 



CHAPTER XVIII 

MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS I HAVE 
KNOWN 

No one will deny that a man who becomes Prime 
Minister of any nation must be a clever man; but 
as we women govern our admiration of men by 
other qualities than those political, my impressions 
of the Prime Ministers I have known may not add 
to their diplomatic distinction. In diplomacy, in 
political resource, of course, they were all brilliant. 
I imagine that it was something of a strain for the 
kings and queens whom they served to establish 
congenial relations with them. 

Since I lived so long in England, my first recol- 
lection of Prime Ministers is Mr. Gladstone. My 
impression of Gladstone may surprise some people 
who were overwhelmed by his public oratory in 
the House, but I am convinced that he possessed 
a pride so sensitive that it made him timid at times, 
especially prudent upon discussing any subject 
with which he was not fully acquainted. Mr. 
Gladstone's opposition to Lord Beaconsfield was 

—303— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

maintained chiefly by a certain instinctive subtlety 
with which he stuck to the one vulnerable point in 
Beaconsfield's armour. He often remarked that 
he had nothing to say regarding the precocity of 
Disraeli's doctrines, and he often worked upon this 
noncommittal attitude until his manner assumed 
the proportions of a personal insult. 

Notwithstanding the fact that they were oppo- 
nents, they visited at the same houses. When they 
met in this way, their indignation was galvanised 
by the political cross-current of their ambitions. 
In their debates in the House, tact, if not preju- 
dice, would often prevent the presence, either in 
the gallery or on the floor of the house, of the un- 
invited. 

It was when, upon special invitation, I found 
myself on the terrace of the Houses of Parliament, 
that I would sometimes see these great men, Mr. 
Gladstone and Lord Beaconsfield, moving about 
in deep thought. From my woman's point of view, 
I often wondered at the complete difference be- 
tween these men. Mr. Gladstone was a great ad- 
mirer of the fair sex, and he always took especial 
pains to charm them by his wit, by his satirical 
mannerisms. It was his special gift to make any 
lady he was talking to believe that she was the only 
—304— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

woman in the world. I often wondered at the 
audacity towards women of this great statesman. 
These moments of frivolity, however, were only the 
little sideplays of a man whose whole career was 
one of great ambition and great purpose. I con- 
sider he was the greatest politician in England 
since Lord Palmerston and Pitt. He, single- 
handed, managed Great Britain's political ship, 
steered it clear of many rocks. He was a great 
friend and admirer of Bismarck, of Monsieur 
Thiers, and Cardinal Rampolli was his warm and 
earnest friend. I am wondering, as I recall these 
qualities of Mr. Gladstone and of Lord Beacons- 
field, whether if these men had been at the helm of 
State, the English Empire would have been in- 
volved in this terrible war. 

Mr. Gladstone was a tall, raw-boned, broad- 
shouldered man. His grey hair was sparsely 
combed over his intelligent forehead. He had 
a rather prominent nose, and he was usually 
dressed in a suit of black broadcloth. I suppose 
that his coat would have passed for a Prince Al- 
bert, but it was a compromising Prince Albert. 
He always wore the broad, white collar of the thir- 
ties and a black satin stock. When he walked 
abroad, down the Mall, he always seemed in deep 

—305— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

thought, walking with his hands behind his back. 
When he would stride along St. James, through 
Bond Street, he would stop and look into the shops, 
where photographs of pretty women were dis- 
played. He would look leisurely at the passersby, 
greet a friend here and there, and he was distinc- 
tive chiefly because of a strange black cape, fash- 
ioned in a period of the thirties, which fluttered in 
the wind as he walked, like the wings of a huge 
bat. He succeeded in impressing the people with 
an idea of their own versatility, and incidentally 
of the composite quality of his own power. When 
a debate of importance in which he figured was to 
occur, when it was most formidable and of extraor- 
dinary length, it was an unwritten law among the 
members of the House to cheer him enthusiasti- 
cally. Undoubtedly he was a great orator. He 
was very fond of using scriptural texts, and his 
interpretation of a moralist disarmed many. 
Morally, he himself was not handicapped by his 
personal faith in his own moral teachings. The 
defects of his character would have been incom- 
prehensible, if he had not been so strong-minded. 
The end of his career resembled a dramatic per- 
formance in which the chief characters all make 
their exit in the last act. 
—306— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

The attitude of Mr. Gladstone to Queen Vic- 
toria was somewhat complex because they were en- 
tirely different intellectual elements. The Queen 
had not lived an agitated life. Her people loved 
her, and Mr. Gladstone did his best to keep up the 
traditions of her career, to maintain the character 
of prevailing etiquette. He created the custom 
of morning visits to Her Majesty. There could 
be no complication at such an hour, and his wisdom 
in this ceremony was applauded by the English 
public. 

Mr. Gladstone demonstrated his love of sim- 
plicity, both in his literary and architectural activi- 
ties, for he had many alterations made in the pub- 
lic buildings. When the people of London, civil- 
ians and soldiers, were massed around the House 
of Commons, they saluted him. His open glance 
would frankly take in the homage of the multitude, 
and he would go calmly on, and enter the precincts 
of Westminster. He was very fond of reading the 
Psalms. His greatest speeches were always orig- 
inal and impressive. I was told that he was par- 
ticularly strict about his office details. In his pri- 
vate office he frequently dictated orders and diplo- 
matic despatches, and he kept his private corre- 
spondence neatly tied up. 

—307— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

I knew him when he had passed the meridian of 
life, when his word was law, when his actions spoke 
loudly and yet no one questioned them. His po- 
litical standards were governed by two immutable 
ideas — his own will, and the will of the people. His 
chief object was to suppress or adjust all individual 
opinions to his own supreme, liberal ideas, and to 
develop his own influence throughout Great Britain. 
He was a very rich man, having supplemented his 
wealth by a great acquisition of property. He 
often said that the queen had not given him free 
reign, but he loved his Sovereign though she had 
compelled him to do things which often were repug- 
nant to him. Heaven had endowed him with a 
great gift of endurance, and, of course, he did not 
succumb to the load heaped upon him by his politi- 
cal opponents. Mr. Gladstone was a man who had 
a natural love of intrigue, and he had always been 
conversant with the politics of France and Ger- 
many. His idea of monarchical power was almost 
a religious dogma, and those who rejected his ideas 
were pursued with vigour. His opponents often 
smiled at his defiance, because he would seize by 
authority, and find himself incapable of using his 
power over that which he had seized. His intel- 
—308— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

lect delighted in eloquence, for he was a serious 
man, a devoted husband. 

There was scarcely a man in the House of Par- 
liament who did not fear the determined look in 
Mr. Gladstone's eyes. He was great in thought, 
but in feeling he remained a Scotchman to the 
end of his life. Like all Scotch people, he was im- 
aginative, he raised altars to his ideals. His own 
life betrayed his illusions sometimes, and his ro- 
mantic instincts led him into sentimental by-ways. 
Looking over his achievements to-day, his adminis- 
tration as Prime Minister becomes comprehensible. 
He did nothing effectual but he was a devout 
Christian, and he could not comprehend any form 
of government but a monarchy. 

Mr. Gladstone's relations with royalty were cor- 
dial, but I think he knew that his Queen merely 
used his services, and had no other sympathy for 
him. He, however, knew the value of the men who 
were in office with him, for he had sounded their 
character. The men he appointed were judi- 
ciously selected for their diplomatic missions. He 
only demanded firmness and loyalty to him, and 
that his diplomatic officers should not concern 
themselves either with the objections or the resist- 
ance of other nations. 

—309— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

The English people, of course, knew that he re- 
fused the peerage, but he was a very headstrong 
man. No matter how uncertain the political hori- 
zon looked, Mr. Gladstone always feigned ignor- 
ance of coming events. He was a moralist, but 
he never harangued anybody upon that theme, and 
he freely ridiculed them. Frequently Mr. Glad- 
stone journeyed to his Scottish home with his fam- 
ily, to enjoy a thorough rest from his strenuous 
parliamentary shouting, and congenial friends 
would be invited. The public had great interest 
in his private home life. He was a prudent man, 
but invariably he exceeded the proportions of his 
virtue; generally speaking, he was cordial but 
sometimes he limited his intercourse to a purely 
conventional exchange of civilities, so that he never 
lost the good graces of his friends. His political 
intuitions were keen. 

My own knowledge and acquaintance with Mr. 
Gladstone, though slight, impressed me that he was 
a very ambitious man and an ardent partisan of all 
that gave him a chance of being witty. He knew 
that the throne of England was quite secure, for 
there could be no honour with an alliance of any 
foreign power. His ideas of being dependent 
upon the bounty of France was repellent to him, 
—310— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

and to-day, if some have lost their thrones, have 
fled to foreign countries and sought refuge in the 
kingdoms of their friends, and have found comfort 
and ease in the present circumstances and being 
near to the verge of bankruptcy, well he has kept 
the crown. The series of exiled monarchs to whom 
England has given hospitality, the Sovereigns of 
former times, were not familiar with revolutions 
and their ignorance made them fearless; they de- 
spised precautions. They were improvident, they 
saved nothing for a rainy day. They scorned all 
business and looked with contempt upon all. If 
they lost their throne and fled to foreign countries 
and sought refuge in their friends' homes, their 
respectabilities were matters of chance, and all this 
Gladstone foresaw, and acted accordingly with 
honours and affections. His memory must be 
classed in recording all he has done for Great 
Britain and Ireland. The king and the Prince of 
Wales would sit in the gallery and listen to his 
eloquent speeches with great pleasure. 

Of an entirely different temperament and char- 
acter was Disraeli. He was a complex man, and 
of course, as every one knows, a great favourite of 
Queen Victoria, who adored him for making her 
Empress of India. The English people them- 

—311— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

selves quickly recognised in him a conservative 
leader, and his triumph at the Congress of Berlin 
was a great political victory. 

My personal acquaintance with Lord Beacons- 
field and his wife remains very vivid in my mem- 
ory. Lord Beaconsfield had a very wonderful per- 
sonality, exceptional magnetism and a grace of 
manner that always put every one at their ease. He 
adopted the clothes and appearance of a man living 
in the period of the Georges. He had very little 
hair on his head, when I knew him, an extraordi- 
nary wisp of a moustache, well-shaped hands, and 
a deportment that made you at once understand 
that you were in the presence of an accomplished 
gentleman. 

I remember chatting with him once in Rotten 
Row, and we discussed the success of Wagnerian 
Opera at Covent Garden. Lord Beaconsfield was 
very fond of Wagner, but I remember he deplored 
the lack of refinement in the production and the 
singers at that time. Especially I remember he 
wore very tight trousers, high-heeled patent leather 
shoes, white spats, a bell-shaped silk hat, and yel- 
low kid gloves with black stripes. Altogether he 
was a "Dandy." Lady Beaconsfield, although in 
appearance a Grande Dame, did not go into so- 
—312— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

ciety very much. Her life was one of adoration 
and love for her husband, so that her time was de- 
voted entirely to him. She was the acme of refine- 
ment, tall, elegant, and when I met her she was 
growing a little grey. Of course, the ladies ad- 
mired His Lordship very much, and he may have 
had his little heart affairs but they were looked 
upon as mere unimportant indiscretions. I am in- 
clined to think that it will not do to let the world 
look at him through a moral spy-glass. 

Lord Beaconsfleld's chaste affections for Her 
Majesty made him a favourite at Windsor Castle, 
and he rejoiced in this show of good will from 
the Queen. In literature, which was one of the 
charms of his busy life, the reality of his theme, the 
truth of his characterisation crowned his work with 
success. His books were translated into many lan- 
guages, and in Germany his "Lothair" was widely 
read, the theme of matrimonial love turned into 
friendship, was sublime ! His wife was much older 
than he was, but she inspired him. Her infatua- 
tion gleamed through all his books. A peculiarity 
of Lord Beaconsfleld's literature is that it always 
retained the highest standards of delicacy, and his 
books have retained their literary influence to-day. 
All sorts and conditions of men have been admirers 

—313— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

of their quality. The Queen delighted in them 
herself. I, for one, admired them so much that 
I have re-read "Lothair" once a year. 

It seems to me that Lord Beaconsfield exerted a 
dominant influence upon the destinies of our mod- 
ern literature. 

His social success was dazzling, because he was 
exquisitely eloquent and polite, and there was a 
fiction to the effect that Lord Beaconsfield was re- 
garded as a survivor of a mysterious and superior 
civilisation. The ladies of the Court of St. James 
were proud of their power to attract the notice of 
this distinguished nobleman, and the homage he 
paid them was of a kind nobody could criticise. 
The Queen's acceptance of his devotion was nat- 
urally a confirmation of his correctness in good 
manners, for Queen Victoria was ever critical, 
both as regards to form and conversation. She al- 
ways exacted minute attention to the details of 
civility, and the manners of Disraeli displayed the 
peculiar gallantry of the epoch. His chivalry 
found its source, no doubt, in a romanticism which 
he had absorbed from other countries, like France, 
for instance, and there were "11 the symptoms of a 
moral in his romances. 

Disraeli was the man of the hour, at a time when 
—314— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

such a man was most needed. I think his genius 
for statesmanship was considerably helped by his 
qualifications as an author, and I doubt whether, 
without the latter qualification he could have so 
well comprehended the political situation of his 
country. How much the ladies thought of him is 
shown in the survival of that organisation of 
women called "The Primrose League." It exists 
in a spirit of love for his memory, to do him honour. 
It perpetuates his reputation for estheticism, with 
which he surrounded himself in his early youth. 
Long before he entered politics he had devoted 
many years to meditation and study, so that when 
he found himself in the political arena he could 
stand apart from his politics and live an intellectual 
life which extricated him and brought to light the 
ideals of his condition. 

His contemporaries have declared him to be 
always real and natural. Of course, he aroused 
the jealousy of his opponents, but he cared nothing 
for their reproaches. The finest sentiments of his 
character he distributed lavishly among his Lords 
and Commons. While he was compelled to fight 
the party spirit, his pride was never assailed. 

While I am thinking about the great men who 
were leaders of national life, I recall meeting 

—315— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Mons. Thier, who was the president of France. 
He was a modest little man, inclined to be stout, 
and he looked out mildly upon the world through 
his gold spectacles. Being a great lawyer, he had 
all the technical knowledge necessary to overcome 
the difficult political questions which confronted 
him, and his persuasive powers of conversation 
made him very popular with the ladies. To France, 
the republican form of government was new, and 
he certainly administered it brilliantly, for it was a 
diplomatic chaos. 

I conversed with him at the £lysee, Paris, dur- 
ing a very large reception, and I remember that 
he avoided politics adroitly, made nice little ob- 
servations about the ladies' gowns, and I noticed 
that the general crowd did not interest him very 
much, but he was suave and gracious to a degree. 
Later I met Monsieur Felix Faure, a handsome, 
debonair, elegant man, smart to a fault, and a 
great friend of the ladies. He died very suddenly 
and too early in life, and the truth of the scandal 
which his death evoked may be questioned. I be- 
lieve the French people liked him greatly. 

It was when I was a child, perhaps eight years 
old, that I saw Bismarck, the greatest living 
statesman of that time. The incident of this occa- 
—316— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

sion reveals the fact that though he was a man of 
an iron will, he had his soft spots. My parents 
had been invited to the country seat of a big land- 
owner, whose property was next door to the coun- 
try residence of the then modest gentleman, Herr 
von Bismarck. His estate was called "Schoen- 
hausen," and was about five miles from Berlin. 
With some other children we were playing hide- 
and-seek on the edge of this property, when sud- 
denly he appeared standing before me. To my 
child vision he was just a tall gentleman. Rather 
autocratically he put his hand on my very abundant 
hair and said: 

"What are you doing here?" 

I remember the sternness of his manner made 
me tremble, and I told him that I had lost my way, 
explaining to him that we were the guests of his 
neighbour. 

"Yes," he said, smilingly, "but you are not my 
guest at all." 

"Please excuse me, sir," I said. 

"Well, never mind, we'll forget it," he said, and 
he took me by the hand, and we walked together. 
I prattled, and he listened, and then he gave me a 
smack on my head, and a beautiful bunch of 

—317— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

grapes. Then, he lifted me over the shrubbery out 
of his own grounds. 

Bismarck was a wonderful husband and father, 
his only daughter, Baroness von Rantzau, I believe 
still survives him, and his two sons. Their mother, 
the Princess Bismarck, was a wonderfully charm- 
ing and clever woman, whom I met years ago. 
Bismarck was born on the first of April, univer- 
sally accepted as All Fools' Day, yet he did not 
fool himself or others during his life. In com- 
memoration of his birthday fires are lighted on the 
heights of every mountain, on his anniversary, to 
show he is not forgotten, and to justify the rever- 
ence in which he is held. 

I cannot close this chapter without a passing 
word concerning Mr. Asquith, the former Prime 
Minister of England. He was rather command- 
ing in appearance, his white hair giving an air of 
dignity to him. He has rather a broad nose, a very 
steady and very serious look in his eyes, and in gen- 
eral appearance is a benevolent figure. He was 
very much liked by his Party. 

Every one knows the reputation for cleverness 

which his wife, his second wife, by the way, who 

was Miss Tennant, has. She was a great friend of 

all that was French and foreign. Mr. Asquith 

—318— 



MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS 

survived those times when men changed their politi- 
cal parties as freely as they change their gloves, 
and he was always among the "true blues." As 
Prime Minister he contributed no novelty in scru- 
ples. He was famous for gallantry, for tender- 
ness, for sentimental influences. 

Mr. Lloyd George, in his new office as Prime 
Minister, was the victim of much grumbling from 
a great many families, especially Welsh, they be- 
ing his native neighbours. He was very clever, a 
small lawyer, brought up in an obscure town in 
Wales. His sudden rise to a leading political po- 
sition in the world is very admirable. His wife is 
a typical housewife, and his children are well edu- 
cated and very smart in their ways. They are 
turning out to be good climbers. Lloyd George in 
appearance is a small man, of sturdy physique. 
His iron-grey hair is worn in a rather artistic fash- 
ion, and he maintains a kindly smile on his lips. 
He has an enormous broad forehead. His bosom 
friend is Lord Reading, and I used to meet them 
often walking through St. James Park on their 
way from the House. They seemed very merry 
and chatty. 



-319- 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE THE WAR 

If you want kindness, be kind; 
If you want truth, be true. 
What you give, you will find; 
Your world is a reflex of you. 

In poetry one reads the prophetic impulse of the 
race. There were no poets to prophesy the future 
in that brilliant London season of 1914. No one, 
not even those who were in the chronic state of Brit- 
ish pessimism, could foresee the disaster that came 
upon us in the summer of 1914. Who could con- 
ceive, that behind the glory of England's supreme 
confidence in herself at this time, the great black 
clouds of war were slowly gathering. 

The season of 1914 in London began its usual 
course of social amusement and grandeur, preced- 
ing the Christmas holidays of 1913. The new year 
followed close after the jingling bells of Santa 
Claus and his reindeers. The church bells of Merrie 
England announced the coming of 1914 with a chal- 
—320— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

lenge of joyousness and prosperity that had no 
jangling note in them. In the midst of the merri- 
ment at the Christmas house-parties, there was no 
thought of war. So the old year was driven out 
with uproarious delight, and the new year — 1914 — ■ 
came in smiling, confident, unruffled by any thought 
of the disaster that came ultimately like a thunder- 
bolt in a clear sky. 

I don't think London was ever more brilliant and 
gorgeous socially. The season of 1914 was the most 
wonderful I can remember during all the years I 
have lived in London. The opening of Parliament 
brought the social leaders to town. The wives of 
the members of the Lower and Upper Houses 
opened their salons earlier than usual, planning 
their entertainments so as to be able to run down to 
their country places for the Easter holidays. There 
was the usual envy and ambition among the most 
brilliant and beautiful women, those who were de- 
butantes and those who were newly married, to be 
presented at the first Drawing Room of the sea- 
son, in February. These Court presentations were 
always eagerly looked forward to, for in their train 
followed the early dances, concerts, and receptions 
of the season. The first Drawing Room at Buck- 
ingham Palace initiated the season. Society was 

—321— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

flippant, gay and festive, and nobody dreamt of 
missing any one of the brilliant entertainments. 

The subscriptions for the Opera season at Co- 
vent Garden had never been bigger. Every box 
was taken, there was not a seat to be had. Your 
horseshoe curve at the Metropolitan Opera House 
in New York resembles very much, in its fash- 
ionable importance, the display of diamonds and 
gowns one sees at Covent Garden during the Lon- 
don season. As in New York, the London sub- 
scribers at the Opera have their notables, their fab- 
ulous wealth in diamonds and pearls to display, 
their cavaliers, and their bored millionaires. I re- 
member a wonderful toilette of turquoise velvet 
miroir worn by Lady Weyms, to whom the Mar- 
quis de Sovaral was paying homage. Then there 
was that wonderful toilette of Lady de Trafford, 
of white jet and similes, with the elegant figure of 
Lord Vane-Tempest in the background. Then 
there was Mrs. Newhouse, with Mrs. Bradley Mar- 
tin, in her box, wearing a shell-pink crepe de chine, 
with those wonderful pearls, and one, single crim- 
son rose. 

Among the distinguished women of beauty and 
aristocratic lineage whose presence in this horseshoe 
curve at Covent Garden is a memory never to be 
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LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

forgotten, was the Countess of Ripon, a woman of 
wonderful Junoesque figure, with snow-white hair 
and with youthful face, which I have noticed is a 
feature of some of the most beautiful American 
women. Her toilettes were always simple but dis- 
tingue. One in particular, I remember, of black 
velour chiffon, a princess gown without a vestige of 
trimming. The only touch of colour was a Dijon 
rose in her corsage. She was really a most com- 
manding figure. 

Then there was the Countess Massarene and Fer- 
rar. She was a tall, graceful woman of the orien- 
tal type. She affected daring colours, which suited 
her well. She was the Eastern Princess of that 
horseshoe curve at Covent Garden. 

Another stately woman, whom everybody ad- 
mired at the Opera, was Lady Maude Warrender, 
the sister of Lord Shaftesbury. I remember how 
exquisite she looked in a beautiful gown of a pale 
satin miroir shot with yellow and Marechal au 
Niel roses. She has become celebrated for her char- 
ity and her amiability since the beginning of the 
war. She possesses a beautiful soprano voice, and 
frequently sings for charitable affairs. 

I found it inspiring to look at this coterie of beau- 
tiful women, who are the best "turned out" women 

.—323— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

in English society, because most of their toilettes 
emanated from my house. I take no special credit 
in this, because it was not difficult to adorn such 
beauty. 

This season of 1914, in London, was the most 
brilliant; it was full of the gladness and joy of 
pleasure. 

A dominating figure of this London season also 
was Mrs. Asquith, the wife of the Prime Minister. 
As all the world knows, she is a remarkable woman. 
Her love and taste for music made her entertain- 
ments much sought after, especially as her daugh- 
ter was a very clever, sparkling girl. Mrs. Asquith 
was a great favourite of the late Prime Minister, 
Mr. Gladstone, and before her marriage, as Miss 
Tennant, was one of the social features of London 
society. With her sister, the late Lady Riblesdale, 
whose husband, Lord Riblesdale, was the Beau 
Brummel of the latter part of the reign of Edward 
VII, she dominated a certain cultured element of 
London society. In this last great social season in 
London, of 1914, Mrs. Asquith was decidedly one 
of the cleverest women in England. Her daughter, 
Miss Elizabeth Asquith, assisted her mother socially 
at those delightful receptions of the Prime Min- 
ister. They were very largely attended, and it was 
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LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

obvious that no party spirit prevailed at them. 
There was only a pleasant atmosphere which is 
usually inspired by intellect and charm. English 
society women have a notorious tact for drawing 
the line very sharply between social degrees. Their 
talent for this was very obvious at the exclusive 
afternoon teas and receptions. They rarely made 
a mistake in the mixture of their social "salads," if 
one may apply a vegetarian phrase, hence the un- 
usual success of English hostesses. 

Those afternoon teas, with a little music, and a 
great deal of flirtation, were not a bit abated at the 
opening of the London season in 1914. As in 
New York, the ladies gathered at small tables in 
public tea rooms. The biggest crowd could be 
seen in London at Rumpelmeiers', and at the 
Carl )n. The howling swells howled just as 
loudly as they had ever done, and those social sirens, 
Lady Sybil Grant, the Countess Crewe and her 
step-daughters, added to the gaiety of the scene by 
always bringing with them a galaxy of pretty girls. 
Lady Sybil Grant was the daughter of Lord Rose- 
bery, the granddaughter of the late Duchess of 
Cleveland ; her mother, nee Rothschild, was one of 
the cleverest women of her day, who brought to her 
husband, on their marriage, a golden casket con- 

—325— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

taining a million pounds. The salon was famous 
because of her wit as a hostess and also because of 
her staunch conservatism. She was a great admirer 
and personal friend of Lord Beaconsfield, the Em- 
pire maker. 

The Countess Crewe is the second wife of the 
Earl of Crewe. She was the elder daughter of 
Lord Rosebery. The step -daughters of Countess 
Crewe were very pretty and great favourites in 
society during this momentous season. 

It was in these tea rooms that engagements were 
made for the soirees dansantes. Among the most 
successful of these events were the soirees dansantes 
at the Duchess of Wellington's, who, with her 
daughters, made everybody so very comfortable. 

Among the other leaders of the season of 1914 
were the Duchess of Portland, whose lavish enter- 
tainments at Welbeck Abbey were famous, and the 
Duchess of Somerset, who encouraged the gilded 
youths of London by always having a bevy of the 
prettiest debutantes at her dances. The Duchess 
of Somerset was among the first of the London hos- 
tesses to permit the Turkey-Trot and Tango to be 
danced at her house. There were many noble man- 
sions where these dances were barred. 

The most exclusive parties were those given by 
—326— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

the Duchess of Devonshire and the Duchess of 
Portland. 

The Duchess of Portland (nee Dallas Yorke) 
was the envy of the women of fashion in London 
because she managed, better than other matrons, 
to retain her slender, graceful figure. She always 
had a very girlish appearance. Her pearls were 
famous, and she was always recognisable by her 
favourite bunch of Malmaison carnations which 
she always wore. She looked every inch a Duchess. 
During all the years that she has been a social 
leader in London, the Duchess of Portland has re- 
tained a singular reputation for exclusiveness, be- 
ing absolutely immune of a breath of scandal, to 
which English society women have been so justly 
or unjustly exposed. Her little daughter is the 
image of His Grace the Duke of Portland. She is 
petite, dark, dainty. She was very much appre- 
ciated socially. Her eldest brother, Lord Tich- 
borne, joined the rest of the Englishmen for the 
good cause. 

Her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire, Mistress 
of the Robes to Her Majesty Queen Mary, is the 
daughter of that most exclusive and proud aristo- 
crat, the Duchess of Buccleuch, who herself was the 
late Mistress of the Robes, and the intimate friend 

327— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

of her late Majesty Queen Victoria. Her home 
was the most distinguished and the most select in 
London. Nobody ever entered it whose credentials 
or whose history had ever had the slightest stain 
upon them. Their receptions were gorgeous, al- 
ways royal. Their expenditures for these recep- 
tions were fabulous. From their Scotch estate came 
such quantities of game and other appetising re- 
sources that their Chef de Cuisine retired with a 
fortune and opened a hotel for himself in the south 
of France. Neither Her Grace the Duchess nor 
the Duke could or would dictate to their chef, hence 
his personal fortune was made. To-day economy is 
practised everywhere, even in this ducal household, 
and restrictions are vigorously enforced. They 
were ultra conservative, exclusive to a fault. 

Westminster House was a magnificent edifice. 
The reception and ball rooms were modelled after 
the period of Charles II. There was a wonderful 
parquet floor, exquisite chandeliers and crystal side- 
lights. The illumination of this room was chiefly 
with old-fashioned wax candles, which gave it a 
peculiar charm. The Duchess of Westminster's 
affairs, that is to say, her entertainments and balls, 
had the flavour of ultra-modern democracy. One 
saw a great deal of physical beauty at them, one 
—328— 




THE COUNTESS OF WARWICK 

The beautiful Countess of Warwick, who was in high favor with the Prince of 
Wales. It was the author's privilege to make most of the gowns, the lingerie, 
and the robes de unit of this famous court beauty. 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

heard a great deal of wit, one saw exquisitely 
dressed women, and a great deal of parvenu and 
get-rich-quicks. The Duchess was very fond of 
blue, it was her favourite colour. Her lovely 
mother the Duchess of Buccleuch had, socially, been 
triumphant, for among her relatives she could boast 
of a princess and a duchess. She also had reigned 
supreme in that trio of beautiful women whom the 
Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) ad- 
mired so much. They were Mrs. Cornwallis-West, 
Mrs. Langtry, and Mrs. Wheeler. It was an em- 
barrassing choice for His Majesty between these 
"Three Graces." 

The day's work for a society enthusiast never in- 
cluded less than two receptions, a tea, and a ball 
which lasted until the early morning hours. For 
instance, one might go from a ball given by the 
Duchess of Westminster to a musicale at Lady M. 
Paget's house. It was at Mrs. Paget's home that 
one was sure to meet those beautiful American 
women, Madame von Andree and her sister, Mrs. 
Chauncey Depew, both delightful hostesses. 

The Duchess of Marlborough, in her lovely home 
in Curzon Street, always presented something novel 
in the way of amateur theatricals, and the Marquise 
de Hautepool, the great friend of Her Majesty 

—329— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Queen Alexandra, was a very distinguished person- 
ality. She had quantities of ash-blonde hair, classic 
features, a slight, graceful figure, and more im- 
maculate toilettes. She dressed in some degree to 
copy Her Majesty Queen Alexandra's style, whose 
most intimate friend she was and still is. Her 
agreeable manners made her very much desired. 

Of course, London society would have seemed 
dull without the presence of the Countess of War- 
wick. Having no suspicion of the terrible disaster 
which came upon us towards the end of the season 
in London, there was no economy in gowns. The 
Countess of Warwick remained, as she always had 
been in London society, one of those adorable 
women who know how to appear always at their 
best. Her toilettes were in the very best of taste, 
and as she had carte blanche, there was no reason 
why they should not be. She was always so beauti- 
ful that she would lend enchantment to the dress- 
maker's inspiration. The elder son, Lord Brook, 
married a daughter of the beautiful Lady Eden, 
whom Whistler made famous. Lady Brook was 
almost as beautiful as her mother, slender and sweet 
as a mignonette. They have one little boy. Lord 
Brook joined the First Life Guards at the begin- 
ning of the war. Lady Warwick's daughter, the 
—330— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

Countess of Faversham, quite recently became a 
widow, losing her husband, I believe, at Mons. 

Those recherche dinners, given by Mrs. Bishops- 
heim and her daughter, the Lady Fitzgerald, and 
her granddaughter in their sumptuous mansions in 
South Audley Street, were very much sought after. 
Her house was furnished superbly. She often en- 
tertained royalties, for she was a brilliant hostess. 
She dressed very sedately but very richly, and, 
above all, she knew how to grow old gracefully. 

I was busier during this London season of 1914 
than I had ever been before. There are few recol- 
lections of beautifully gowned women that are any 
clearer in my mind than the pretty figure of the 
daughter of the Countess of Lytton. 

"My daughter's gown for to-night, Madame, it 
will be very smart?" the Countess asked me, with 
such tremulous eagerness. She was a simple, de- 
lightful girl, and the gown I made for her was a 
thing of freshness in tulle and snowdrops. It was 
most appropriate for the girl's slender blonde 
beauty. She looked like a snowdrop. 

Madame Melba was the rage of this London sea- 
son at the Opera. She scored tremendously in "La 
Boheme." Personally, I thought it was unfortunate 
that she had acquired the elderly spread of figure, 

—331— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

which was unbecoming to Mimi. However, Mel- 
ba's success was not marred whatsoever by this 
deficiency. 

The beautiful Mrs. Stevens-Kent, whose hair, 
though almost white, did not detract from the fresh 
youthfulness of her face, was a distinguished fig- 
ure at the Opera, sitting in her mother-in-law's box, 
smothered in diamonds that were like coals. They 
were the famous black diamonds from Brazil. 
Their gorgeous mansion at Belgrave Square was a 
very popular place of entertainment. 

Mrs. Clarence Mackay's social gatherings in 
Carleton House Terrace were among the famous 
events of London society in 1914. Her soirees mu- 
sicales always included such famous stars as Ku- 
belik, Kreisler, Mischa Elman, Madame Destin, 
and others. She always has some great figure in 
the musical world of all but priceless value, and 
her soirees musicales were a perfect crush. Antici- 
pating the great crowds that would fill her room, 
she originated a very unique way of keeping them 
cool. Huge blocks of ice were cleverly hidden un- 
der smilax bushes. There were other features 
equally surprising. Little miniature lakes, where 
one could play with miniature boats. On one occa- 
sion her surprise to society was a water tank with 
—332— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

real fish, with tackle supplied for the guests to hook 
them. Mrs. Clarence Mackay, at this time, was a 
singular figure. She usually dressed in faultless 
white satin, not a vestige of colour. One rope of 
pearls clasped by a huge sapphire, and one black 
pearl. She was very oriental looking, and was usu- 
ally surrounded by the Indian princes who hap- 
pened to be visiting in London. The Maharajah 
of Kooch-Behar and the Maharajah Agar-Khan 
usually appeared superbly dressed in their na- 
tive robes. It is customary for the foreign at- 
taches, wearing their brilliant uniforms, to attend 
these musicales. Many of the Ambassadors were 
also present with their wives. One often saw the 
Prince and Princess Lichnowsky, the German 
Ambassador and his wife, Monsieur and Madame 
La Laing, the Belgian Minister and his wife. These 
fetes, given by Mrs. Clarence Mackay in London 
in this last year of social splendour, were indeed 
very famous. 

Mrs. Hope-Vere was among the beautiful women 
who were conspicuous during this last season of 
London gaiety. Her salons were always filled with 
people, and she was famous among her friends for 
her skill in choosing the right colours and the most 
graceful designs in gowns. 

—333— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

The Princes' Skating Club, a private and exclu- 
sive skating rink, where only the best society at- 
tended, gave Mrs. Hope-Vere her opportunity to 
appear in a skating costume that was very attrac- 
tive and appropriate. It was a dark bottle-green 
velvet trimmed with skunk fur, with a muff and 
stole to match. The Princes' Skating Club was 
really one of the features of London society in 
1914. To become a member you had to be intro- 
duced, then voted upon by ballot, before you could 
even be admitted. The result was that the most 
wonderful skating costumes were always exhibited 
at these gatherings. At tea-time it was impossible 
to find a seat in the tea-rooms, unless you had or- 
dered a table beforehand. 

The Duchess of W could often be seen with 

Mr. Gennadius of St. Moritz fame, exhibiting his 
wonderful skating evolutions with her. 

To those who were familiar with the romances of 
high life the graceful figures which these two people 
exhibited on the ice were also a demonstration of 
a deeper meaning to the heart. Their romance 
began in the Tyrolean, now Bavarian Alps, it be- 
gan on the very peak of the snow-capped moun- 
tains of Pontrasina at St. Moritz. Who has not 
inhaled the pure air amidst these scenes of snow- 
—334— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

white purity? The leitmotif of this exuberant ro- 
mance was the Alpine simplicity and grandeur. 
Of course it was exhilarating, and the romance en- 
twined itself about the hearts of the Duchess and 
the exhibition skater with binding vows that were 
never broken. Any one who visited the Tyrol coun- 
try in the winter, will remember how fascinating 
those snow-capped nooks and corners are, where 
the little lichen-trees are almost entirely buried un- 
der the snow. It is a place where the tragedies and 
comedies, and perhaps burlesques, of love play 
havoc with men and women regardless of social 
position. That is how these two drifted into a 
lovely dream, and were rudely awakened by the 
great monster — scandal. It requires a sovereign to 
pour oil upon the troubled waters of this clandes- 
tine affair in an otherwise placid household. The 
Duke and Duchess parted. The Duchess has be- 
come a Sister of Charity, for the good of the cause. 
It is also interesting, while dwelling upon the 
brilliancy of this last London season, to record the 
popularity of the officers of the Crack Regiments 
in London then. The officers of the Second Life 
Guards, the Blues, the Seventh and Twelfth Hus- 
sars, were especially sought after. They were very 
good fellows, although very often they preferred 

—335— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

sitting out a dance, either on the grand staircase or 
in the conservatory, where they indulged in a little 
love-making, a little wit, where they became en- 
gaged to the prettiest girls of the season, who, of 
course, did not dream that their stalwart, handsome 
husbands would be called to fight other battles than 
those of love. 

I recall the mysterious effect upon the gaiety of 
the crowds, of the first rumours of war in Lon- 
don, toward the end of the season of 1914. How 
easily they were swayed from pillar to post. Of 
course, many people took advantage of the stock 
market, while the turmoil in London grew louder. 
Suddenly, one day, the streets were full of people, 
whispering. One saw the recruiting sergeants, pa- 
rading up and down the principal thoroughfares. 
The public houses were crowded to suffocation, and 
the music halls were ringing with patriotic songs. 
Every one was shouting "On to Berlin." 
Such songs as "Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for 
Soldiers" filled the air. Knitting needles were in 
every woman's hands. All London became ab- 
sorbed in making socks, shawls, mufflers, for 
"Tommy Atkins." The Clubs were besieged with 
inquiries. All who were not English by birth went 
panic-stricken to the Home Office to obtain pass- 
—336— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

ports. For two weeks there was a universal cor- 
diality from the British authorities towards those 
who wanted to return. I, myself, desired to be 
naturalised, and with my lawyers waited hours un- 
til my turn came to make my application. Univer- 
sal courtesy was shown me by officers and well- 
meaning police officers, who handed me my papers 
to sign, adjusted many photographs of me to the 
papers, and then hoped, as did thousands of other 
people, that all would be well. 

Everything had been moving along gaily and 
charmingly in England, up to this time. Even the 
murmurs and whisperings of July, 1914, had not 
reached the people. Those who were behind the 
scenes, and saw the huge war clouds rolling up, 
wisely concluded that silence is golden. 

When the shell exploded, and its tremendous 
noise shattered the European foundations, business 
became immediately at a standstill. The morato- 
rium was declared, and many people gladly accept- 
ed the opportunity to escape their debts. Then fol- 
lowed the Emergency Act, and slackers in pay- 
ment under normal conditions felt very much re- 
lieved of their debts pro tern. 

It was in the face of this crisis that the aristo- 

—337— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

cratic world of London took the initiative so splen- 
didly. 

So many women, prominent in London society, 
changed the whole course of their social lives at the 
outbreak of the war. 

Lady Horlick at once sent a dozen automobiles 
to the Front for ambulance service, including her 
own. The Duchess of Westminster was one of the 
first English women who went to the Front to 
nurse the soldiers. Lady Fitz-Ponsonby crossed 
the Channel at once to distribute food and give first 
aid. Lady de TrafTord entered the hospital to 
study nursing, and served at the Red Cross. 

Lady Ermyntrude Malet opened her magnificent 
home in London to the convalescent. Lady Water- 
loo became a Red Cross nurse. Mrs. Dale-Lace 
took a course in nursing at St. Thomas's Hospital. 
Lady St. Maur and Lady Brassey, the Duchess 
of Somerset, the Duchess of Norfolk, all loaned 
their mansions to the wounded. Lady Talbot, 
Countess Fitzwilliam, the Duchess of Newcastle, — 
there were hundreds of these distinguished society 
leaders who adapted themselves to menial work in 
the hospitals. No work was too hard for them — 
they spared neither money nor pains to relieve the 
sufferings of their unfortunate heroes, It is a great 
—338— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

testimony to the character of these society women, 
that they made these magnificent sacrifices to help 
and encourage "Tommy Atkins." 

Tea parties became veritable sewing-bees. After 
the declaration of war in August, 1914, sewing and 
knitting were the only occupation known to society. 
A central office was established in London, where 
bedding and clothing could be sent, to be forwarded 
to the front. I, among others, of course, sent quan- 
tities of blankets and sheets, and made hundreds of 
woollen shirts for the soldiers, until one morning I 
was physically and mentally shocked by a request 
to leave England. My maid brought up my break- 
fast to my bedroom, and on the tray I saw a formid- 
able-looking envelope from the Home Office. I de- 
bated whether I should open it before breakfast or 
not. Curiosity made me waver. I broke the seal, 
and as I read and re-read the formal communica- 
tion, I became speechless. My tears blinded me 
as I read the polite and very courteous request to 
leave England within ten days. The British Gov- 
ernment also generously contributed for my depar- 
ture a capital of ten pounds. I went, myself, and 
secured an eminent firm of solicitors to intercede 
for me with Sir John Simonds, who was then 
Home Secretary. The result was that I was per- 

—339— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

mitted three weeks in which to prepare for my de- 
parture, to take with me what I could gather before 
I became expatriated. So I had to leave the land 
where I had lived for forty-three years as a loyal 
and devoted subject, the land I hope to end my days 
in when hostilities are over. 

My experience was probably little different from 
thousands of others whom the British Government 
helped because their alien connections might be in- 
imical to the welfare of Great Britain. 

In my despair and distress I addressed Her Maj- 
esty, Queen Mary, hoping that it could be possible 
for the Queen of England to intercede in my be- 
half. Her Majesty replied, with her usual gra- 
ciousness and kindness of heart, that she would 
be unable to assist me. 

All London by this time became the centre of 
patriotic England. The beautiful women whom 
I have gowned and whose fetes I had attended, for- 
got all about dressmaking and clothes. Elabo- 
rate entertainments were immediately started to 
gather funds to take care of those poor people whose 
men were ordered to the Front, and were conse- 
quently left dependent upon some form of accept- 
able charity. 

The Duchess of Rutland, Lady Diana Manners, 
—340— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

and Lady Beerbohm-Tree were especially active in 
instituting wonderful entertainments to gather 
funds for this purpose. My own observation was 
that the poor were literally overwhelmed with good 
things. One woman, who lived near my residence, 
informed me that she had never had so much money 
in her life before, nor so much freedom to use it. 
This may have been because her man was at the 
Front. My grocer told me that expensive dainties 
were now purchased almost exclusively by coach- 
men and chauffeurs. 

While the aristocratic quarters of London were 
economising England was greatly aroused by the 
Belgian disaster. This demonstration seemed to 
touch the hearts of the middle class, seemed to im- 
press them with a sense of their moral obligation 
to support their own poor. I know of many cases 
where well-to-do families took the deserving poor 
into their own homes and gave them the most hu- 
mane and charitable care. I know of cases where 
aristocratic mansions with their entire retinue of 
servants were put at the disposal of the homeless 
exiled from Belgium. English charity is pro- 
verbial. There is no country in the world sup- 
porting so many hospitals and institutions by volun- 
tary contributions as England, and yet there are 

—341—^ 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

no greater contrasts of misery and great wealth 
than one finds in Great Britain. 

Almost as soon as the war broke out, the society- 
beauties of London became absorbed in charitable 
work. 

I recall Lady Hesquith, an American beauty, as 
among those who were especially active. Her re- 
ceptions before the war had been very distinguished. 
Lady Stewart-Richardson, whose dancing excited 
New York society a short while ago, symbolised her 
feeling of "sack cloth and ashes" by adopting the 
oriental dress of the Hindoos for every-day life. 
She wore sandals in the streets of London, and her 
veils were so adjusted that one could hardly see her 
eyes. 

Among the last brilliant entertainments given 
on the eve of the war in London, were those at The 
Mansion House, where Lady Wakefield and the 
Lord Mayor of London dispensed hospitality. 
Every one talked about them. Lady Wakefield 
dressed superbly. She is a majestic-looking woman. 
I recall how exquisite she looked in a gown of real 
lace most beautifully draped. The train was of 
rich white Duchess satin, it was of great length and 
was carried by Maids of Honour dressed in pink 
taffeta. The cortege was beautiful in the extreme. 
—342— 



LAST LONDON SEASON BEFORE WAR 

The Mansion House itself is a revelation of beauty. 
The grand reception room, with the portraits of 
former great city magnates, is very impressive. 

I expect that in this room, some day, not far dis- 
tant, there will be a more impressive gathering, 
when the industrial disaster of war will be adjusted. 



^343— 



CHAPTER XX 

MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON 

The disaster crept upon London so gently as to 
be scarcely taken as a threat to the social gaieties. 
Of course, we women had been told how fortifica- 
tions were being rebuilt, and many other details 
which pointed to a certain unrest in national life. 
Finally all eyes were obliged to see that England 
was embroiled in a fighting campaign, brought 
about I should say by the factions of different opin- 
ions. 

The first real expression of war came to pass 
when we saw troops marching through the streets, 
who were being called out for service. Of course, 
there was a prevailing spirit of optimism, but at 
the dinner parties there was a forced merriment 
that did not entirely escape notice. In the midst 
of the most riotous jests, extraordinary rumours 
reached us. There was a good deal of criticism, for 
it is impossible for English people to believe that 
their idea of invulnerable national strength could 
—344— 



MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON 

be in danger. The Ministers maintained a de- 
meanour of smiling confidence towards all ques- 
tions, and it was declared that no possible attack 
could be made without warning to the thousands 
who might be in danger. Then, one night, mysteri- 
ous convoys went to and fro, and desperate efforts 
were made to hide their movements. 

Then the last scene of the tragedy came. Those 
who knew most of the real situation were very 
chary of suggestions. The quick movement of 
events was fearfully foreshadowed in the grim hap- 
penings of that first day of war. We were in the 
city most of the day, and saw the excitement and 
courage in spite of it. Suddenly flags appeared in 
all squares, on the roofs of houses, on the walls. 
Great crowds gathered in the streets, everybody 
gesticulating, and it seemed as though every one 
was shouting, "To Berlin." 

What a riot it really was. Perfect strangers 
meeting and embracing each other, men grasping 
each other by the hand in mutual congratulation. 
All the public buildings were besieged. It was a 
tremulous, inspiring excitement, which conveyed to 
you the spirit of the English people. Above the 
noise and shouts of the crowds one heard the sharp, 
penetrating command of trumpets in the streets. 

—345— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

The military bands of the different regiments 
seemed to be constantly coming and going. It was 
evident that no one would possibly intervene to 
reason with this national upheaval, it was also clear 
that there were no cowards. When the soldiers of 
different garrisons were notified to be ready, they 
rushed pell-mell to their places, fearing more to re- 
linquish them than to take them. There was no pre- 
tentiousness or self-importance among the generals 
and officers who were called to duty. Every one 
sought only to become a servant of His Majesty 
George V of England, to protect his realm, and to 
achieve a glorious victory. 

Colossal sums were at once demanded of Parlia- 
ment by Premier Asquith, which were voted, and 
became huge loans. No one seemed to think of 
those who might be left behind, of the sorrowing. 
The retinue of the court became more gorgeous 
than ever, and music, especially military bands, was 
heard everywhere. There were, of course, the usual 
ambitious cynics who pacified the peevish people, 
and the Palace itself was constantly surrounded by 
a curious crowd. Much was expected of that great 
organiser, Lord Kitchener, who made plans to regu- 
late every item of expenditure in the forthcoming 
— 346— 



MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON 

cataclysm. So, with varied feelings England waited 
for the hour to strike. 

I was impressed with a fact that the chief sup- 
port of those who deplored the national war spirit, 
was the familiar encouragement of the words, "En- 
tente Cordiale." Of course, Parliament made much 
of this quality, and hastened the progress of this 
alliance amid scenes and ceremonies that were very 
impressive. 

Kitchener was really the chief intellectual power 
of England's war plan. In doing this he steered a 
dangerous course over quicksands which threatened 
his personal safety. He had a highly strung tem- 
perament, and an intellect which saw much trickery 
around him, and which he was alert in combating. 
The work which he accomplished for England, I 
fear was out of focus with the times. His opportu- 
nities to regulate the forces of France were too 
short, and therefore he was unable to make the pub- 
lic see the future in clear equilibrium. 

In London society, the gossips found a great 
field for their favourite occupation, although the 
war spirit had burst the bubble of folly and volup- 
tuousness in which they had thrived. There were 
women in society whom it was foreseen would be a 
baleful force, but the country insisted that they 

—347— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

serve. Many of them, in doing this, had to aban- 
don their amours with great men. Of course, there 
were great quantities of patriotic English women, 
who eagerly seized the opportunity to demonstrate 
their mettle, to throw down the gauntlet in de- 
fiance of feminine tradition, to put on, as it were, 
the mailed fist and to do their bit. Love, of course, 
had to take a back seat. I mean, of course, love as 
a pastime. Knowing a good deal of the inner com- 
plications of English society, it was obvious that 
love's tyranny was vanishing. There could be no 
more slavery of feeling. The women shook off the 
yoke of idle flirtation, and the men accepted the 
new order of things. 

Every day brought new changes, but the bal- 
ance in power of the future was hidden in the low, 
black clouds of war. Of course, royalty did not 
leave town. All sorts of sensational stories were 
circulated, and promptly contradicted, and all the 
while the crowds grew more dense in the streets. 
Finally the Palace was completely surrounded by 
mounted police. Great services were held in St. 
Paul's Cathedral, during these days preceding the 
war in London, at which the royal family attended. 
It seemed as though the religious element of Eng- 
—348— 



MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON 

land was making an appeal to the Divine Power to 
grant peace to Europe. 

The sight of the Crack Cavalry Regiments rid- 
ing through the streets, which was once an incident 
of gaiety, made us all feel sad. Crowds of men and 
women of all classes followed the soldiers about. 
The chief impression to me of all this entanglement 
of feeling was that the powers of Lloyd George 
were manifest everywhere. With all the strength 
of his oratory and his eager temperament, he 
wanted above all things the glory of England. He 
demanded that the English Navy demonstrate the 
triumph of Great Britain's sea power. 

Across the Channel, the chief sentiment of 
France seemed to be to regain the dominion of 
Alsace and Lorraine, including the greater part of 
the Rhenish country, through which they hoped to 
enter Germany. This was the plan talked of and 
anticipated successfully, not by temporary invasion, 
but by an orderly and skillful campaign. 

Actually, however, there were no conditions in 
London itself, which expressed any fear either of 
food shortage or enemy attack. The ladies still 
danced in magnificent ballrooms — especially the 
new dances, those impetuous, ardent, swinging fig- 
ures, and then to supper with plenty of champagne. 

—349— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Neither politics nor war interfered much with the 
Music Halls, or the Movies. Some performances 
rose above the question of literary merit, but other 
performances were condemned as morally objec- 
tionable, because they contained allusions to the 
war conditions which the public did not appreciate. 

Of course, great entertainments were planned 
for charity, in which society women were pledged 
to appear in extraordinary exhibitions. I recall a 
couple of singers, Delicia and Morton, who were 
appearing in an obscure cafe in London, were re- 
tained by a celebrated Duchess to teach her a very 
spicy and suggestive duet, in which she was to ap- 
pear at a great charity affair for the wives and chil- 
dren of the maimed and wounded defenders of the 
country. I can give no idea of the enormous 
amount of charity that was set in motion, and the 
enormous sums that were raised in the name of 
charity. 

Regretfully I must admit that there were a good 
many so-called society people who hailed war with 
Germany with intense delight, for the commercial 
rivalry of England had for many years been an an- 
noyance to them. There were others in England, 
however, who at this period in the evolution of war, 
insisted that they were meeting a valiant foe, that 
—350— 



MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON 

the task of conquering Germany would be a hard 
and severe strain for the country. The feeling 
against the enemy, however, was obvious. The 
ladies were more positive in its expression than the 
men. 

German maids were dismissed. I knew of one 
lady who sent away her German maid who had been 
with her over twenty years, who nursed her through 
a difficult illness, — in twenty-four hours' notice. 

Life in London became a perpetual caldron of 
boiling hatred. It would simmer down, only to 
shoot up with a more bubbling hatred, with over- 
whelming heat. 

With other women in London, I made thousands 
of shirts for the soldiers. 

The women of England became a powerful al- 
lied force for conscription, in spite of bitter tears 
they wept for the lovers they lost. Still, they were 
resolved to tread the future path of life with an in- 
dependence of will that surpassed the expectations. 
I noticed a great change came over these lovely 
girls, when they had to learn by experience many 
unknown things. They were vivacious, proud, en- 
terprising, potential Amazons, well fitted to hold 
the lance, the revolver, the gun. They really showed 
remarkable courage, the courage of men, which is 

—351— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

very rarely found in women. They became utterly 
regardless of the opinions of others. Some of these 
women who had been leaders in the spice of fashion, 
told me that after serious reflection, they came to 
the conclusion that the soul should not be suscep- 
tible to love. For this reason, they declared they 
wanted to go to war. They were brave and gen- 
erous, they had the manner and the inclinations of 
men. 

Of course all business was suspended, the streets 
were full of excited people, the shop-keepers stood 
on their doorsteps. The parliamentary orators 
talked brilliantly and terribly, while the British na- 
tion listened patiently and enthusiastically. Finally 
everything settled down to a universal spirit of pa- 
triotism, and life became more tolerable in London. 

Amateur musical entertainments at the fashion- 
able houses in London for charitable purposes, con- 
stituted a great attraction. 

And now, how fare these ladies, these society but- 
terflies, these arbiters of fashion, these social lead- 
ers, what are their thoughts ? Outwardly, they dem- 
onstrated a furious and agitated movement to be- 
come nurses, sisters of charity, motor-car drivers, 
anything and everything to help to aspire to the 
new feminine diversion, of being warriors. In a 
—352— 



MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON 

measure, they have all become heroines, Spartans. 
The spoiled children of society found themselves 
mingling promiscuously with shop-girls, actresses, 
upper-servants. Preferably these society women 
chose the open-air hospitals, and the Tommies have 
been enjoying the sensation of being nursed by 
women of the English aristocracy. 

I saw Mrs. E. H. start from London for the 
front with twelve motor ambulances, driving one 
herself. With her was Lady de Trafford and the 
Duchess of Westminster. They rushed madly to 
Boulogne and Calais to give their personal aid, and 
indeed it was a tussle between them as to who should 
arrive first. Of course, everything was done at 
their personal expenditure. Every one was buying 
calico and lint. Every one was learning how to 
make bandages of medicated wool, how to apply 
anaesthetics, how to manipulate first aid. This was 
work which the ambulance corps started at once. 
The beautiful houses along St. James Park, oppo- 
site Carleton House Terrace, were turned into new 
convalescent homes. Even the balconies were con- 
verted into open-air wards. When I went into a 
famous shop I saw the ladies of the court purchas- 
ing cottons and haberdashery. There was Lady 

—353— 



LOVE STORIES OF COURT BEAUTIES 

Eva Dugdale, Lady Henry Somerset, conducting 
shopping expeditions for the wounded. 

I confess that I felt desolate and wretched to 
find myself excluded from the land of my adoption, 
although it has brought me to this beautiful coun- 
try, where I have met the delightful and gracious 
Americans and have become a welcome stranger. 



—354— 



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